Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Weaker for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "weaker" — an adjective, the comparative form of "weak", pronounced /ˈwiː.kər/, with the stress on the first syllable.
Narrator: Weaker means less strong, less powerful, or less able than something else — it compares two things by their lack of strength.
Narrator: In plain English, if one thing has less strength than another, it is the weaker of the two.
Narrator: So we say a weaker signal, a weaker argument, or that someone feels weaker after an illness.
Narrator: The word is "weak" plus the comparative ending "-er", from the Old Norse "veikr", meaning pliant or yielding.
Narrator: That "-er" ending is English's standard way to compare, giving us "stronger", "faster", and indeed "weaker".
Narrator: It can describe physical strength, but also intensity, quality, or persuasiveness — a weaker case, a weaker brew.
Narrator: In tone it is neutral and everyday, common in comparison, analysis, and casual speech.
Narrator: So remember: weaker means less strong — the comparative of weak, always measuring one thing against another.
Speaker A: The phone signal is much weaker down in the basement.
Speaker B: Right. Weaker means less strong — it's comparing two signals.
Speaker A: Exactly. And I feel a bit weaker than usual after that cold.
Speaker B: Understandable. People sometimes confuse "weaker" with "weakly".
Speaker A: Good point. Weaker is the adjective comparing strength; weakly is the adverb, how something's done.
Speaker B: Nicely put. A common mistake is saying "more weaker" — just "weaker" is enough.
Speaker A: True, no need to double it up. Close synonyms? "Feebler" and "frailer".
Speaker B: And "fainter" for a weaker sound or light.
Speaker A: Though "weaker" is the clear everyday choice.
Speaker B: Right — its opposite is "stronger".
Speaker A: So the signal's weaker down here, then.
Speaker B: Exactly — let's head back upstairs.
Speaker B: Let's use "weaker" in AI prompts to mean comparing and flagging the weaker option — spotting what's less strong.
Speaker A: So "weaker" tells the AI to identify the less strong of two things?
Speaker B: Exactly. For passwords, you'd write:
Prompt: Add a password strength meter: clearly mark weaker passwords in red and suggest improvements, so users instantly see when their choice is weaker than it should be and fix it.
Speaker B: The word "weaker" makes the comparison and the warning clear.
Speaker A: Memorable. What about performance?
Speaker B: Try this:
Prompt: Compare my two API endpoints and flag the weaker one: highlight whichever responds slower, so I can focus on the weaker endpoint and bring it up to speed.
Speaker A: So it finds the laggard. What about a dashboard?
Speaker B: Here you go:
Prompt: Build a sales dashboard that highlights weaker products: mark items selling below average, so the weaker products stand out and I know exactly where to focus attention.
Speaker A: Useful. What about A/B testing?
Speaker B: Try this one:
Prompt: Analyse my two landing pages and name the weaker performer: show which converts less, so I can retire the weaker page and keep the stronger one running.
Speaker A: Could it review code too?
Speaker B: Yes:
Prompt: Review my functions and flag the weaker error handling: point out where checks are weaker than elsewhere, so I can shore up the weaker spots before they cause bugs.
Speaker A: So "weaker" means spotting the less strong option.
Speaker B: Exactly — a precise word for comparison and improvement.
Weaker — meaning in Arabic & definition More W courses GL Dictionary