What does weaklier mean?
Weaklier is the comparative form of the adjective weak. It means less weak, less strong, or more feeble than something else and is normally used in a comparison between two people, objects, conditions, or qualities. For example, a battery may become weaklier with age, or one translation may be weaklier than another if it conveys less of the original meaning or force. The word is fully understandable in modern British and American English, although weaker is far more common in everyday use. Weaklier can be useful when the focus is explicitly on a decline in strength or a graded difference between alternatives. Its unusual sound may also draw attention to the comparison, but it should not be used merely to make ordinary prose sound old-fashioned. The form belongs to a wider set of English comparatives ending in -er and reflects the older and less usual comparative variant weaklier alongside the standard modern form weaker.
adjectiveThe comparative of weak; less weak, feeble, or lacking in strength or power than something else.
- Less weak or less strong
"The old battery grew weaklier and lasted considerably less time than the replacement."
"By the final round, the defending champion looked weaklier than she had in the opening match."
"Of the two versions, the translation is the weaklier because it loses much of the original's humour."
English already has “weaker”—so “weaklier” is the comparative that rarely gets invited to the comparison.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of weaklier
Weak derives from Old English wac, a word meaning lacking strength or significance, and continued in Middle English and modern English. The comparative weaklier arose in English and now occurs alongside the much more familiar weaker. Related forms in other Germanic languages include Dutch zwak and German schwach, all reflecting a common Germanic word for weakness or lack of strength.
How weaklier is actually used
Weaklier is a valid comparative form but is much less common than weaker. It is most natural in contexts involving a direct comparison of strength, condition, or quality.