weak-kneed
1
7.1
- adjective
- /ˈwiːkˌniːd/
- Informal
- Many participants were weak-kneed during the final exam due to the pressure.
- get weak-kneed
Examples
-
She felt weak-kneed when she had to speak in front of the large audience.
-
After the intense debate, he became weak-kneed and struggled to maintain his position.
-
And as to his more weak-kneed white allies, he wrote in that same piece:
Blog text (11) -
Boehner, Cantor, and McCarthy need to step down seeing as they don't have the guts to stand up and lead the party anymore, and I think we're all sick of the weak-kneed politics of today.
Blog text (13) -
Munny is struggling to his feet and staggering weak-kneed to the table where he grabs the whiskey bottle, breaks it off, and turns groggily to face Little Bill.
Fiction book (1993)
Synonyms
570
1.5
Not strong in will and easily gives in to pressure
28
6.0
Not brave enough to face danger or difficult things
23
5.7
Lacking strength, courage, or strong flavor
19
6.1
Timid and not showing much courage
16
6.8
Easily frightened and likely to avoid hard or scary things
13
7.3
Not firm or brave when making decisions
4
9.9
Not brave and acting weak
2
9.9
Easily afraid and not willing to take risks
1
9.0
Having little courage and giving up easily
1
7.9
Not brave or strong enough to face difficult things
Antonyms
How Brave
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Weak-kneed comes from the simple image of someone's knee going 'weak' when they are scared, with the parts weak and knee showing that idea. So, it now means lacking determination or courage.