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weakness

weakness

34 3.3
A strong liking for something that may be bad for you
  • noun
  • /ˈwiːknəs/
translation icon : debilidad
  • The Greeks have such a weakness for beauty.

I think just like shellfish is my food weakness.

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Examples

  • But you seem to have a weakness for the lower orders that I find disturbing.

  • He's got a weakness for girls like you.

  • I have, I should admit, a weakness for the characters who, where I grew up, were commonly called hot shit.

    Academic text (2008)
  • French silk, for which I have always had a weakness.

  • Paradoxically, her secret weakness is the secret of her power.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Call it weakness, I can't say no to any child of mine.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I've always had a weakness for lost causes, once they're really lost.

  • We Westerners have a weakness... for these spiritually inclined men of India.

  • It adds a taste of elegance, for which I must confess a weakness, now and then.

  • I have a serious weakness for chocolate cake, even though it's not healthy.

Synonyms

inclination
vsweakness
61 4.2

A natural tendency to want or choose something

is a stronger liking that can continue despite being unwise or harmful
fondness
vsweakness
38 2.8

A strong warm liking for a person or thing

is a liking that can be unwise or harmful despite warmth
penchant
vsweakness
37 8.2

A strong liking for something you do often

is a liking that continues despite being unwise or harmful
proclivity
vsweakness
19 8.5

A natural liking or habit of doing something, often a bad thing

is a liking that appears despite being unwise or harmful
predilection
vsweakness
13 8.4

A strong liking for something, like a type of food or music

is a liking that persists even when it is unwise or harmful

Antonyms

31 6.5

A strong dislike of something or someone

How Fond

obsession
262 5.1
craving
78 3.7
weakness
34 3.3
preference
157 2.1
liking
1 1.0

Surface Forms

weakness singular
weaknesses plural

Morphology

weakness = weak (semi-transparent) = weak + ness

The meaning 'a liking or susceptibility' is a metaphorical extension of 'weak' (susceptible), so learners may not derive this sense directly from the literal adjective.

Etymology

Weakness comes from weak 'not strong' and the ending -ness. A helpful way to remember the meaning 'a strong liking' is to think of it as something you are 'not strong' against, so a weakness for sweets is a thing you cannot resist.