as in weak
lacking strength of will or character
management is too weak-kneed to effectively enforce even a minimal dress code
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Recent Examples of weak-kneed
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
Someone who, when in command, commands — and isn’t a weak-kneed politician.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
Her yes left her weak-kneed in a more swoony kind of way.
—Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Ohtani has the most weak-kneed and worthless advisors in the history of advisors.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
And yet for three years, as the Assad regime repressed protests and Syria’s uprising morphed into a civil war, the United States has taken a curiously weak-kneed approach to justice and accountability in the conflict.
—David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2014
DeSantis increasingly looks like an amalgam of Trump’s last GOP rivals for the presidency, particularly the sweaty Marco Rubio and the oily Ted Cruz: too conventional and weak-kneed to punch back when they’re bullied.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 23 Mar. 2023
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
Someone who, when in command, commands — and isn’t a weak-kneed politician.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
Her yes left her weak-kneed in a more swoony kind of way.
—Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Ohtani has the most weak-kneed and worthless advisors in the history of advisors.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
And yet for three years, as the Assad regime repressed protests and Syria’s uprising morphed into a civil war, the United States has taken a curiously weak-kneed approach to justice and accountability in the conflict.
—David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2014
DeSantis increasingly looks like an amalgam of Trump’s last GOP rivals for the presidency, particularly the sweaty Marco Rubio and the oily Ted Cruz: too conventional and weak-kneed to punch back when they’re bullied.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 23 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weak-kneed
Adjective
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And, in the long run, economists say that will translate to a weaker economy and a lower standard of living.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
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Thanks to a weak front sliding across Central Florida, Thursday will be a bit cooler than prior days.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Some reactions might be softer and less pronounced, while others could be obsessive and overwhelming.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
-
Since then, only a few structural modifications and modern changes have been made—wood-burning stoves were replaced by propane heaters, and horses and mules were swapped for llamas (their feet are softer and less damaging to the ground).—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Weak-kneed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weak-kneed. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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