weakly

Everyday

1. Weakly means without strength or energy: «he smiled weakly». tree →
2. Weakly means not strongly, only a little: «the light shone weakly». tree →

In the lessons

In stories «weakly» shows that a character is tired, ill, frightened or not confident: «she laughed weakly», «he protested weakly». In science, a «weakly magnetic» material is only slightly attracted to a magnet; «a weakly acidic» liquid is a little acidic. Phrases: «smile weakly», «weakly argue».

Examples

• He smiled weakly from his hospital bed. tree →
• The puppy wagged its tail weakly. tree →
• The torch shone weakly — the batteries were low. tree →
• «I'm fine,» she said weakly. tree →
• The sun shone weakly through the clouds. tree →
• The baby bird chirped weakly. tree →
• Lemon juice is weakly acidic. tree →
• Then he turned to Geppetto and cried out weakly: tree →

Note

From «weak» + -ly. Homophone trap: «weekly» (every week) sounds the same: «a weekly test» vs «she spoke weakly». Opposite: strongly.