From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishweaknessweak‧ness /ˈwiːknəs/ ●●○ W3 noun 1 fault [countable]FAULT/something WRONG a fault in someone’s character or in a system, organization, design etc The legislation has a fundamental weakness. The plan has strengths and weaknesses.► see thesaurus at fault2 lack of power [uncountable] lack of strength, power, or influenceweakness in weakness in the economyweakness of the growing weakness of local government3 body [uncountable]WEAK the state of being physically weak muscular weaknessweakness in weakness in the right arm4 character [uncountable]BAD AT lack of determination shown in someone’s behaviour He couldn’t explain his weakness in giving in to her demands. I dared not cry or show any sign of weakness.weakness of his weakness of character5 money [uncountable] the condition of not being worth a lot of moneyweakness of the weakness of the pound against the dollar6 → a weakness for something
Examples from the Corpus
weakness• Frank's biggest weakness is his lack of tolerance.• Weinstein said he wants to maintain it as a national brand despite its weaknesses in the Midwest and South.• There are two major weaknesses in biosensors.• muscle weakness• It is a rare disease characterized by progressive liver enlargement or cirrhosis and muscular weakness by the age of 2 months.• Never love me for my weaknesses, he wanted to say.• In fact my whole being was permeated by the leaden-armed pervading weakness one feels when forced to work in the small hours.• By contrast, it is easier to confirm an academic skill weakness through the use of standardized achievement tests.• The car has some serious structural weaknesses.• The weakness of these controls throws the spotlight on the Police Complaints Authority composed of lay persons.• the weakness of the country's law-making body• the weakness of the yen against the dollarstrengths and weaknesses• Thus knowledge of competitive strengths and weaknesses will be an advantage in this situation.• By now I was obeying instinct or habit, checking the chain for strengths and weaknesses.• Each arrangement has its strengths and weaknesses.• In fact, each form has its strengths and weaknesses.• Most children tend to have a mixture of strengths and weaknesses.• It is useful for teachers and counselors to communicate directly to them just what these strengths and weaknesses are.• This society moulded many of the ideals, virtues, strengths and weaknesses in his later role as emperor.• Professional career counsellors can assess your strengths and weaknesses and offer advice.sign of weakness• I had always looked upon crying-especially a woman crying-as a sign of weakness.• He had no one to confide in and would have seen seeking psychiatric help himself as a sign of weakness.• Neither dares to look away for an instant, in case this is read as a sign of weakness.• This will not be seen as a sign of weakness but a real sign of strength.• Before Reagan turned on the waterworks, crying in public was widely considered a sign of weakness.• To acknowledge those differences is not a sign of weakness.• Both are today showing signs of weakness, but they are still far short of the east-coast mess.• It had long shown signs of weakness.From Longman Business Dictionaryweaknessweak‧ness /ˈwiːknəs/ noun1[uncountable] a lack of power, success, or influenceThe stock market doesn’t fully reflect the weakness in the economy.With this weakness in the market, buyers are able to name their prices and find willing sellers.2[countable] part of something that can be criticized easilyA major weakness of the firm has been its reliance on its headquarters in Atlanta for making decisions.a serious weakness in the system 