weak-kneed

adjective

ˈwēk-ˈnēd How to pronounce weak-kneed (audio)
Synonyms of weak-kneednext
: lacking willpower or resolution

Synonyms of weak-kneed

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of weak-kneed in a Sentence

management is too weak-kneed to effectively enforce even a minimal dress code
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These included Capra’s weak-kneed response to the anti-Communist crusade that roiled mid-20th-century Hollywood and his occasional failure to adequately credit his collaborators. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 That NextEra could rack up a string of scandals and still extract multi-billion-dollar rate hikes for FPL stems directly from weak-kneed, inept oversight by the Florida Public Service Commission. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026 But after stumbling, skier after skier tightened their boots, collected loose skis, and proceeded to do tricks that those of us at the bottom feel weak-kneed to even watch. — Story Hinckley, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Feb. 2026 Being healthy was culturally coded as being a weak-kneed liberal elite. — Matt Lewis, Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2026 And that’s been a problem — well, at least for discerning, weak-kneed cosmopolitan viewers like me. — Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025 Thankfully, the City Council, not our weak-kneed mayor, has the last say. — Peter L. Markowitz, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2025 Sadly, Pope Paul VI, who succeeded John XIII, was weak-kneed, while John Paul II and Benedict XVI were conservative revanchists. — R. R. Reno, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of weak-kneed was in 1766

Rhymes for weak-kneed

See All Rhymes for weak-kneed

Browse Nearby Words

weakish
weak-kneed
weakliness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Weak-kneed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weak-kneed. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All