
weak | weak: adj. 1 feeble, frail, fragile, unsubstantial, flimsy, breakable, frangible, delicate, rickety, unsteady, unsound, decrepit, shaky, infirm: That chair is too weak for you to stand on. 2 frail, infirm, debilitated, enervated, delicate, sickly, anaemic, wasted, decrepit, puny, effete, worn out, tired, exhausted: When I last saw Tindell he was so weak he could hardly lift his brandy glass. 3 unassertive, retiring, namby-pamby, spineless, irresolute, impotent, ineffectual, ineffective, incompetent, feckless, inept, wishy-washy, timid, meek, craven, timorous, cowardly, pusillanimous, lily-livered, chicken-hearted, Colloq chicken, yellow: We know which is the weaker partner in that marriage, don''t we? 4 feeble, lame, half-baked, poor, miserable, unconvincing, unpersuasive, empty, shallow, flimsy, hollow, pathetic, pitiful, unbelievable, untenable: Edward made some weak excuse for being late. I found Mona''s argument against birth control very weak indeed. 5 weak-minded, dim-witted, dull-witted, slow-witted, foolish, feeble-minded, simple, simple-minded, soft-headed, stupid, dull, moronic, imbecilic, Colloq dumb: They seek out people of weaker intelligence and make fools of them. 6 faint, dim, poor, dull, pale, faded, indistinct, vague, hazy, imperceptible, indiscernible, unclear, blurred, blurry, muzzy, wavering, faltering, ill-defined, feeble, flickering, subdued: I could hardly see her face in the weak light of the candle. 7 feeble, subdued, low, soft, hushed, muffled, muted, almost inaudible, stifled, indistinct: When the victim finally spoke, his voice was very weak. 8 See watery, 1, above. 9 weak point. See weakness, 3, below.
weaken | weaken: v. 1 debilitate, enfeeble, enervate, emasculate, mitigate, moderate, dilute, deplete, diminish, lessen, depress, lower, reduce, sap, undermine, exhaust, impoverish: The continuous torture helped to weaken Errol''s resolve. 2 fade, dwindle, tire, droop, sag, fail, give way, crumble, flag: My determination weakened when I saw what had happened to the children. 3 give in, relent, acquiesce, give way, yield, accede, consent, agree, assent, soften, bend, ease up, let up, ease off, relax: If you ask very politely, she might weaken and allow you to go out and play. 4 water (down), dilute, thin (out): Adding the water so weakened the soup that it tasted like dishwater.
weakling | weakling: n. milksop, baby, mollycoddle, lightweight, namby-pamby, US and Canadian milquetoast, Colloq sissy or Brit also cissy, loser, cream puff, jellyfish, pushover, softie or softy, Slang wimp, twerp or twirp, US weak sister, schnook, schlemiel or schlemihl or shlemiel: If you count on a weakling like Geoffrey, nothing will ever get done.
weakness | weakness: n. 1 feebleness, frailty, fragility, delicacy, delicateness, vulnerability, infirmity, decrepitude: They discovered a weakness in the structure of the bridge, so it had to be closed. 2 incapacity, irresolution, irresoluteness, impotence, powerlessness, puniness: He is ashamed of his weakness in being unable to stop smoking. 3 weak point, foible, failing, fault, shortcoming, flaw, Achilles'' heel, defect, imperfection, liability: Her one great weakness is her inability to deny her children anything. 4 soft spot, fondness, affection, liking, preference, bent, leaning, inclination, fancy, penchant, predilection, proneness, proclivity, predisposition, partiality, appreciation, appetite, sweet tooth, taste, eye: The two of them share a weakness for good food and wine.
wealth | wealth: n. 1 affluence, riches, money, opulence, prosperity, property, holdings, capital, assets, wherewithal, cash: Most of their wealth comes from illicit trade in diamonds. 2 profusion, abundance, bounty, plenteousness, bounteousness, copiousness, mine, plenitude, fullness, store, cornucopia, richness: Janet has a wealth of ideas for situation-comedy plots.
wealthy | wealthy: adj. rich, affluent, well off, prosperous, well-to-do, opulent, comfortable, moneyed, Colloq in the money, on Easy Street, flush, well-heeled, in clover, Slang loaded, stinking (rich), filthy rich, quids in, rolling in it: Bill has a wealthy aunt who sends him a little something now and then.
wear | wear: v. 1 be dressed or clothed in, dress in, put on, don, be in, step or get into or in, have on, sport: I shall wear my new suit tonight. 2 display, show, exhibit, have, adopt, assume: I wondered why she wore such a curious expression. 3 Often, wear down or away or off. damage, impair, harm, fray, erode, abrade, corrode, rub (off): The water has worn down the rocks till they are round and shiny. The inscription on the stone is worn away. After years of use, the paint has worn off. 4 Often, wear well. last, endure, survive, hold up, bear up, stand up: I wrote to the makers telling them the shoes have worn well. 5 drag, pass slowly, creep by or along, go by gradually or tediously: The hours wore on as I waited for the test results. 6 Often, wear out. tire, fatigue, exhaust, debilitate, weary, enervate, drain, burden: You must be worn out from carrying those heavy books. 7 bore, exasperate, harass, vex, annoy, irritate, tax, strain: I find it wearing to listen to that music all day long. --n. 8 wearing, use, utilization; attire, garb, clothing, clothes, apparel, dress, gear: Did you get much wear out of your new hat? Suzanne is modelling a silver lam� dress for evening wear. 9 wear and tear, attrition, deterioration, damage, fraying, chafing, abrasion, erosion, corrosion, friction: As the engine ages, heavier oil is needed to offset the normal wear.
weary | weary: adj. 1 tired, fatigued, exhausted, worn out, drained, spent, Colloq all in, ready to drop, fagged (out), done in, dead (on (one''s) feet), frazzled, dead beat, dog-tired, Brit knocked up, US knocked out, Slang Brit whacked, knackered, US pooped, zonked (out), shot: He is so weary after work that he can scarcely eat his dinner. 2 boring, irksome, irritating, tedious, vexing, annoying, exasperating, burdensome, wearying, tiring, fatiguing, draining, taxing, wearisome: We walked many a weary mile before reaching the oasis. 3 bored, impatient, jaded, blas�, Colloq fed up, sick and tired, Taboo slang browned off: I wish he would wipe that weary expression off his smug face. --v. 4 Often, weary of. tire (of), be or become bored (with or by) or impatient (with) or jaded (with or by), Colloq be or become fed up (with) or sick and tired (of): I soon wearied of her nagging. 5 exhaust, enervate, fatigue, tire, debilitate, drain, tax, wear or tire out: The long trek across country had wearied us all.
weather | weather: n. 1 (meteorological) condition(s), climate: The weather suddenly changed, and we arrived home cold and wet. 2 under the weather. ailing, ill, sickly, unwell, indisposed, out of sorts, sick, Colloq poorly, seedy: I didn''t go sailing because I was feeling a bit under the weather. --v. 3 stand, survive, suffer, bear up against, endure, withstand, rise above, ride out, live through, brave: Gemma didn''t think she could weather much more sarcasm from the critics.
weave | weave: v. 1 loom; braid, plait, entwine, intertwine, interlace, interweave, knit (together): These fabrics were woven by hand. Weave these leather strands together to make a belt. 2 blend, combine, fuse, merge, unite, intermingle, mesh, splice, dovetail, join: The threads of their lives are inextricably woven together. 3 construct, make, contrive, build, create, fabricate, compose, spin, design: Oh, what a tangled web we weave When first we practise to deceive! 4 zigzag, criss-cross, wend or make (one''s) way, dodge, bob and weave, shift: Look at that motor cyclist weaving in and out of the traffic! 5 get weaving. get started, get a move on, hurry (up), start, Colloq shake a leg, Brit get or pull (one''s) finger out, Chiefly US get a wiggle on: If you''re going to get to work on time, you''d best get weaving.
web | web: n. spider''s web, cobweb; net, network, entanglement, snare, trap: Don''t you just hate getting those webs in your hair? She became entangled in a web of deception.
wed | wed: v. 1 marry, espouse, get married, become husband and wife, say or take (one''s) (marriage) vows, join or unite in holy wedlock or matrimony; lead down the aisle, lead to the altar, Archaic wive; Colloq tie the knot, get hitched, get spliced: They were wed on the fourth of July, 1921. That was when Harry wed Annabel. 2 combine, unite, ally, marry, blend, merge, join, mingle, intermingle, commingle, coalesce, mix, intermix, amalgamate, compound, alloy, fuse, homogenize: As a chef, he is extremely fortunate to be able to wed business to pleasure.
wedded | wedded: adj. Usually, wedded to. intimately or obstinately attached or connected (to), enamoured (of): He has always been wedded to the notion of living alone on an island.
wedding | wedding: n. 1 marriage (ceremony), wedding ceremony, nuptials; confarreation: Our son''s wedding was attended by members of the royal family. 2 combining, combination, uniting, union, joining, juncture, blending, blend, allying, alliance, associating, association, marrying, marriage, merging, merger, mingling, intermingling, commingling, coalescing, coalescence, mixing, mixture, intermixing, amalgamating, amalgamation, compounding, compound, alloying, alloy, fusing, fusion, homogenizing, homogenization: Through her wedding of vision to observation she has produced some truly remarkable paintings.
wedge | wedge: n. 1 block, chock: A shoe with a wedge heel is called a ''wedgie''. We forced wedges into the cracks in the stone to split it. 2 separation, separator, division, partition, split, fissure, cleavage: That woman tried to drive a wedge between me and my husband. --v. 3 ram, jam, stuff, cram, crowd, force, squeeze, pack, thrust: You couldn''t have wedged another person into the back seat of that Mini with a shoehorn.
wee | wee: adj. 1 tiny, small, diminutive, little, minuscule, midget, minute, miniature, Lilliputian, microscopic, Colloq itty-bitty, itsy-bitsy, teeny(-weeny), teensy(-weensy): Johnny caught his wee little finger in the door. 2 unimportant, insignificant, trivial, little, puny: It was only a wee thing, of no interest to anyone but me.
weep | weep: v. 1 cry, shed tears, bawl, blubber, keen, sob, lament, mourn, bemoan, bewail, moan, grieve, whine, whimper, mewl, pule, snivel, Colloq blub, boohoo, Brit and Australian whinge: A small child, sitting by herself, was weeping bitterly. 2 ooze, seep, exude, drip: The wound had started weeping and needed bandaging.
weigh | weigh: v. 1 Sometimes, weigh in at or out at. Colloq tip the scales at: The sailboard weighed in at 250 pounds. I weigh more than I should. 2 consider, ponder, contemplate, think on or over or about, mull over, turn over in the or (one''s) mind, ruminate over, chew over, reflect on or upon, brood over, pore over, study, examine: After weighing the qualifications of the candidates, we voted for you. Weigh your words carefully before responding. 3 judge, estimate, assess, evaluate, value, determine: It is not easy to weigh each person''s contribution to the effort. 4 Usually, weigh on or upon. lie heavy on, burden, depress, prey on, oppress, disturb, perturb, upset: Loneliness weighs heavily on Dave''s widow. 5 matter, count, have (an) effect or influence, carry weight, be of value or account, Colloq cut any ice: Certain factors - like the sizes of the bribes - are likely to weigh heavily with the judges of this particular beauty contest. 6 weigh down. burden, overburden, load, overload, encumber, tax, overtax, strain, trouble, worry, depress, oppress: He''s been weighed down by financial worries since losing his job.
weight | weight: n. 1 heaviness, avoirdupois, mass, tonnage, Dialect heft: They sell peaches by weight but melons are individually priced. The weight of these books must be enormous. 2 burden, load, millstone, onus, pressure, strain, albatross, cross: He has to support the weight of the entire family''s expenses. 3 influence, authority, power, substance, force, moment, importance, consequence, impact, persuasiveness, value, worth, Colloq clout: Clyde brought down his full weight in favour of the liberal candidate. Clyde''s opinion carries little weight with me. He must stop throwing his weight around. 4 mass, majority, preponderance or preponderancy, bulk, superiority: The weight of the voters is in favour of reducing taxes. The weight of the evidence is against us. --v. 5 load, charge, ballast: The policemen''s truncheons are weighted with lead. 6 arrange, manipulate, bias, incline, slant, Colloq rig: The statistics are weighted so as to make the advertiser''s product look superior.
weighty | weighty: adj. 1 heavy, ponderous, massive, huge, bulky, substantial, ample, large, mammoth, colossal, immense, enormous, gigantic, prodigious; corpulent, fat, obese, adipose, Colloq hefty: I found myself face to face with a rather weighty gentleman who was blocking the doorway. 2 important, consequential, significant, momentous, grave, crucial, portentous, thought-provoking, provocative: These are weighty matters and should be handled with circumspection. 3 influential, convincing, persuasive, impressive, telling, powerful, potent, leading; forceful: Weighty arguments have been put forward in support of these proposals.
weird | weird: adj. strange, odd, peculiar, bizarre, unnatural, eerie, queer, grotesque, freakish, outlandish, uncanny, unearthly, other-worldly, supernatural, preternatural, Literary eldritch, Colloq spooky, freaky, kinky, Slang far-out, way-out: There was something decidedly weird about the creature at the door.
weirdo | weirdo: n. eccentric, madman, madwoman, lunatic, psychotic, Colloq crazy, weirdie, nutcase, oddball, queer fish, crank, Slang freak, loony, psycho, Brit nutter, US screwball, nut, kook: Why belong to a club whose members are weirdos who refuse to talk to one another?
welcome | welcome: v. 1 greet, hail, meet, receive, accept, offer hospitality (to): Everywhere she went she was welcomed with open arms. --adj. 2 accepted, acceptable, well-received, desirable, agreeable, gratifying, appreciated: Norma is always a welcome guest at my house. Ice cream was a welcome relief from the perennial plum duff. 3 freely permitted or allowed, invited, entitled, suffered: At that hotel, guests are welcome to dine when they please. --n. 4 reception, greeting, salutation: We gave the ambassador a warm welcome.
weld | weld: v. 1 unite, combine, merge, fuse, connect, link, join; solder, braze, cement, bond: We felt welded together in a brotherhood that would last forever. The brace must be welded all the way along the edge. --n. 2 seam, joint, juncture, commissure: The weld must be filed down smooth.
welfare | welfare: n. benefit, good, advantage, well-being, prosperity, (good) fortune, profit, interest, (good) health, happiness, felicity: It is up to the parents to look after their children''s welfare.
well� | well�: adv. 1 satisfactorily, sufficiently, adequately, agreeably, nicely, (well) enough, Colloq OK or okay: Alan is doing well these days. 2 successfully, famously, marvellously, wonderfully, fabulously, incredibly, splendidly, admirably, spectacularly, excellently, superbly: Barbara and David really get along well together. 3 articulately, understandably, expressively, correctly, accurately, properly, proficiently, effectively, artistically, poetically; grammatically: Henry will make a good announcer because he speaks well. 4 comfortably, luxuriously, prosperously, extravagantly, showily, pretentiously, ostentatiously, sumptuously, grandly, opulently: How can Rita live so well with no visible income? Living well is the best revenge. 5 graciously, kindly, highly, favourably, glowingly, approvingly, warmly, genially, cordially, amiably, kind-heartedly, warm-heartedly, affectionately, lovingly: Rudolph has always spoken well of you, Aileen. 6 skilfully, expertly, adeptly, proficiently, ably: Does Anne play well enough to compete professionally? Paul sings well. 7 far, by a long way, immeasurably, (very) much; far and away, definitely, positively, obviously, clearly, plainly, manifestly, evidently, unquestionably, decidedly, beyond (the shadow of a) doubt, Colloq by a long chalk: Keep well away from the fuel tank before lighting that cigarette. She is well beyond the beginner stage. This painting is well worth what you paid. 8 good-naturedly, equably, coolly, serenely, calmly, soberly, unexcitedly, sedately: Burt took the bad news about his car very well. 9 likely, probably, in all probability, doubtlessly, without doubt, not unexpectedly, indeed: He might well say he needs no help. 10 easily, without difficulty: Though he gave her the money, he could not well spare it. 11 completely, entirely, wholly: Before she could well finish her sentence, he was out of the house. 12 thoroughly (cooked), (cooked) through and through, completely (cooked): He likes his roast beef well done. 13 intimately, closely, familiarly, personally; thoroughly, profoundly, soundly, fully: Do you know Boris well? I learnt my lesson well. 14 fairly, justly, suitably, properly, adequately, reasonably, fully, generously, amply: James is well paid for his work. 15 happily, mercifully, fortunately, luckily: After the divorce, both said they were well rid of each other. --adj. 16 healthy, fit, hale, robust, vigorous, hearty, in fine or good fettle, Colloq in good shape: Wendy felt really well after her holiday. 17 satisfactory, pleasing, agreeable, good, right, all right, fine, proper, OK or okay: When he phoned the office, they told him all was well.
well� | well�: n. 1 well-spring, spring, fountain, well-head, fountain-head, fount, source, reservoir: The well provided a constant supply of cool clear water. --v. 2 Often, well up or out or forth. flow, spring, surge, rise, stream, trickle, brim over, swell, start; gush, spurt, jet, spout; ooze, seep, leak: Tears welled up in the child''s eyes when she saw the broken doll.
well-advised | well-advised: adj. prudent, wise, sensible, intelligent, smart: You would be well-advised to avoid Chichicastenango at this time of year.
well-balanced | well-balanced: adj. 1 rational, sane, sensible, rational, reasonable, level-headed, sober, sound, well-adjusted, cool(-headed), Slang together: Ray is as well-balanced as people seem to be these days. 2 even, symmetric(al), harmonious, well-proportioned, orderly, well-ordered, well-disposed: Note the well-balanced arrangement of the windows in this Palladian fa�ade.
well-bred | well-bred: adj. well brought up, well-mannered, polite, decorous, mannerly, refined, courteous, cultivated, polished, cultured, gentlemanly, ladylike, elegant, suave, urbane, sophisticated, gracious, courtly, genteel, gallant, chivalrous: Jane prefers bikers to the well-bred gentlemen her mother selects for her.
well-established | well-established: adj. long-standing, traditional, set, venerable, well-known, accepted, well-founded: He works for a well-established firm of solicitors. It''s a well-established fact that the English discuss the weather a lot.
well-fed | well-fed: adj. plump, chunky, thickset, chubby, rounded, rotund, portly, stout, fleshy, overweight, adipose, fat, obese, gross, Brit podgy or US pudgy: On the westward crossing we were seated with a well-fed Austrian couple.
well-groomed | well-groomed: adj. neat, dapper, fastidious, tidy, trim, smart, clean-cut, spruce, natty, well-dressed, Colloq nifty, Slang US and Canadian spiffy: Well-groomed gentleman sought as escort to attractive widow. Hourly rate. Driving licence essential.
well-informed | well-informed: adj. knowledgeable, learned, well-read, well-versed, well-educated, literate, educated, Colloq in the know, wise, US vibrating on the right frequency, Slang hip or hep: With access to all the media, what excuse have you for not being well-informed?
well-known | well-known: adj. 1 known, familiar, (well-)established, acknowledged, customary, everyday: Plain salt is a well-known remover of wine stains. 2 famous, noted, notable, celebrated, renowned, illustrious, famed, prominent, eminent, pre-eminent: The scandal linked a former Cabinet Minister with several well-known City names.
well off | well off: adj. comfortable, wealthy, rich, affluent, prosperous, well-to-do, Colloq well-heeled, US well-fixed: They are well off and live in a charming house on the edge of the Cotswolds.
well-thought-of | well-thought-of: adj. admired, highly regarded, respected, reputable, venerated, esteemed, revered, looked-up-to, valued: Timothy is a well-thought-of member of the community.
well-timed | well-timed: adj. timely, seasonable, opportune, auspicious, favourable, advantageous, beneficial: Tax incentives gave a well-timed boost to the economy.
welsher | welsher: n. non-payer, cheat, cheater, swindler, Slang dead-beat, US welcher: That welsher never paid the money he lost to me at poker.
welt | welt: n. 1 bead, ridge, seam, edge, wale, stripe: The cushion has a welt of contrasting colour binding it. 2 bruise, contusion, bump, lump, scar, weal or wale or wheal: The boy''s back was covered with red welts where he had been birched.
welter | welter: n. 1 mass, mess, jumble, tangle, confusion, mishmash, muddle, clutter, Brit hotchpotch or US also hodgepodge: Her assignment was to sort out a welter of discarded clothing for the poor. My mind was assailed by a welter of disorganized images. --v. 2 be sunk or involved in, flounder, be bogged down in, be entangled or ensnarled in: Till I found a new secretary, I would have to continue weltering in a sea of correspondence and unfiled papers.
wet | wet: adj. 1 moist, moistened, damp, dampened, soaked, soaking, sopping, wringing, dripping, sodden, soppy, saturated, drenched: During the rainy season, the ground is far too wet for planting. 2 rainy, raining, teeming, pouring, drizzling, showery: We have had a very wet spring this year. 3 feeble, weak, irresolute, effet, namby-pamby, foolish, ineffectual, ineffective, spineless, timorous, cowardly: She considered some of her colleagues too wet to take the tough action needed. --n. 4 moisture, water, wetness, dampness, damp, humidity, liquid: The wet stood out on his forehead. 5 rain, wetness, mist, dew, fog, damp, humidity: Come in out of the wet, and warm yourself by the fire. 6 milksop, softie or softy, lightweight, Colloq drip, loser, Brit weed, Slang wimp, US weak sister: Why is he such a wet about standing up for his rights?
