different between weak vs unstable
weak
English
Etymology
From Middle English weyk, wayk, weik, waik, from Old Norse veikr (“weak”), from Proto-Germanic *waikwaz (“weak, yielded, pliant, bendsome”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyk- (“to bend, wind”). Cognate with Old English w?c (“weak, bendsome”), Saterland Frisian wook (“soft, gentle, tender”), West Frisian weak (“soft”), Dutch week (“soft, weak”), German weich (“weak, soft”), Norwegian veik (“weak”), Swedish vek (“weak, pliant”), Icelandic veikur (“bendsome, weak”). Related to Old English w?can (“to yield”). Doublet of week and wick. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)
This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
Pronunciation
- enPR: w?k, IPA(key): /wi?k/
- Rhymes: -i?k
- Homophone: week
Adjective
weak (comparative weaker, superlative weakest)
- Lacking in force (usually strength) or ability.
- weak with hunger, mad with love
- Unable to sustain a great weight, pressure, or strain.
- Unable to withstand temptation, urgency, persuasion, etc.; easily impressed, moved, or overcome; accessible; vulnerable.
- 1703, Nicholas Rowe, The Fair Penitent Act I, scene I:
- Guard thy heart / On this weak side, where most our nature fails.
- 1703, Nicholas Rowe, The Fair Penitent Act I, scene I:
- Dilute, lacking in taste or potency.
- (grammar) Displaying a particular kind of inflection, including:
- (Germanic languages, of verbs) Regular in inflection, lacking vowel changes and having a past tense with -d- or -t-.
- (Germanic languages, of nouns) Showing less distinct grammatical endings.
- (Germanic languages, of adjectives) Definite in meaning, often used with a definite article or similar word.
- (chemistry) That does not ionize completely into anions and cations in a solution.
- (physics) One of the four fundamental forces associated with nuclear decay.
- (slang) Bad or uncool.
- (mathematics, logic) Having a narrow range of logical consequences; narrowly applicable. (Often contrasted with a strong statement which implies it.)
- Resulting from, or indicating, lack of judgment, discernment, or firmness; unwise; hence, foolish.
- Not having power to convince; not supported by force of reason or truth; unsustained.
- Lacking in vigour or expression.
- Not prevalent or effective, or not felt to be prevalent; not potent; feeble.
- (stock exchange) Tending towards lower prices.
- (photography) Lacking contrast.
Synonyms
- (lacking in force or ability): feeble, frail, powerless, vincible, assailable, vulnerable
- (lacking in taste or potency): dilute, watery
- See also Thesaurus:weak
Antonyms
- (lacking in force or ability): healthy, powerful, robust, strong, invincible
- (lacking in taste or potency): potent, robust, strong
- (chemistry: that does not ionize completely): strong
Derived terms
Translations
Anagrams
- Wake, wake, weka
West Frisian
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /v???k/
Adjective
weak
- (Clay) soft
Inflection
Alternative forms
- wêk (Wood)
Further reading
- “weak (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011
weak From the web:
- what weakens the immune system
- what weakened the league of nations
- what weakens coral exoskeletons
- what weaknesses should i say in an interview
- what weakness of the articles of confederation
- what weakens a hurricane
- what weakness is revealed in this excerpt from serena
- what weakened the asante kingdom
unstable
English
Etymology
un- +? stable
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?n?ste?b??/
- Rhymes: -e?b?l
Adjective
unstable (comparative more unstable, superlative most unstable)
- Having a strong tendency to change.
- Fluctuating; not constant.
- Fickle.
- Unpredictable.
- (chemistry) Readily decomposable.
- (physics) Radioactive, especially with a short half-life.
Synonyms
- (having strong tendency to change): labile
- (fluctuating, not constant): instable (rare); see also Thesaurus:unsteady
- (fickle): arbitrary, capricious
- (not held or fixed securely and likely to fall over): tottering, unsteady, wobbly; see also Thesaurus:rickety
Antonyms
- stable
Related terms
- instability
- unstability (rare)
Translations
Verb
unstable (third-person singular simple present unstables, present participle unstabling, simple past and past participle unstabled)
- (transitive) To release (an animal) from a stable.
Anagrams
- abluents, ant-blues, bleaunts, blue ants, tunables, unablest
unstable From the web:
- what unstable element decays fast
- what unstable means
- what's unstable angina
- what unstable isotopes
- what's unstable fracture
- what unstable particle
- what unstable air mass
- what's unstable lie
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