Meanings
plural Achilles heels · alternative Achilles' heel
- A vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation.
A good all-round golfer, playing out of bunkers is my Achilles heel.
2 more examples
In nearly all respects he is an admirable agent of the USSR, but his gross physical habits and predilections are an Achilles heel of which we have been able to take advantage from time to time and one of his mistresses is a Eurasian (No 1860) controlled by Station F, who has recently been able to obtain insight into his private affairs.
1953, Ian Fleming, “Dossier for M”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 14It might seem counter-intuitive, but getting right up in the Demoman's face is the Achillees heel to the power of his explosives.
2020 December 27, Uncle Dane, 10:54 from the start, in How To Fight Every Class In TF2 (As Engineer) (And Win!), archived from the original on 27 Dec 2020Synonyms: soft spot, vulnerability, weakness, weak spot, kryptonite, chink in the armor, glass jaw, kryptonite
- anatomyThe Achilles tendon, the tendo Achillis.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation.
Origin
From the Greek hero Achilles, whom according to legend his mother held by the heel when she dipped him in the River Styx, making him invulnerable everywhere except on his heel. He was later killed by an arrow wound to the heel. Although the legend is ancient, the phrase only entered English in the 19th century. It is used as a metaphor for vulnerability, as in the earliest citation, an essay by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عَقِب أَخِيل, كَعْب أَخِيل
- عَقِب أَخِيل (ʕaqib ʔaḵīl)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
- كَعْب أَخِيل (kaʕb ʔaḵīl)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
- نُقْطَةُ ضَعْف (nuqṭatu ḍaʕf)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Bulgarian ахиле́сова пета́
- ахиле́сова пета́ (ahilésova petá)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Catalan taló d'Aquil·les
- taló d'Aquil·lesvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Chinese Mandarin 弱項 /弱项, 死穴
- 弱項 /弱项 (ruòxiàng)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
- 死穴 (sǐxué)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
- 軟肋 /软肋 (ruǎnlèi)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
- 阿喀琉斯之踵 (Ākāliúsī zhī zhǒng)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
- 致命傷 /致命伤 (zhìmìngshāng)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Czech Achilova pata
- Achilova patavulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Danish akilleshæl
- akilleshælvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Dutch achilleshiel
- achilleshielvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Estonian Achilleuse kand
- Achilleuse kandvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Finnish akilleenkantapää
- akilleenkantapäävulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
French talon d'Achille
- talon d'Achillevulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
German Achillesferse
- Achillesfersevulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Greek αχίλλειος πτέρνα
- αχίλλειος πτέρνα (achílleios ptérna)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Hebrew עָקֵב אַכִילֵס
- עָקֵב אַכִילֵס ('akév akhíles)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Hindi अकिलीज़ की एड़
- अकिलीज़ की एड़ (akilīz kī eṛ)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Hungarian Achilles-sarok
- Achilles-sarokvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Icelandic akkilesarhæll
- akkilesarhællvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Italian tallone di Achille, tallone d'Achille
- tallone di Achillevulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
- tallone d'Achillevulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Japanese アキレス腱
- アキレス腱 (Akiresuken)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Korean 아킬레스 건
- 아킬레스 건 (Akilleseu geon)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Norwegian Bokmål akilleshæl
- akilleshælvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Polish pięta Achillesa, pięta achillesowa
- pięta Achillesavulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
- pięta achillesowavulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Portuguese calcanhar de Aquiles
- calcanhar de Aquilesvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Romanian călcâiul lui Ahile
- călcâiul lui Ahilevulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Russian ахилле́сова пята́
- ахилле́сова пята́ (axillésova pjatá)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Slovak Achillova päta
- Achillova pätavulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Spanish talón de Aquiles
- talón de Aquilesvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Swedish akilleshäl
- akilleshälvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Tagalog sakong ni Akiles, sakong ni Aquiles
- sakong ni Akilesvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
- sakong ni Aquilesvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Turkish Aşil topuğu
- Aşil topuğuvulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Ukrainian ахілле́сова п'ята́
- ахілле́сова п'ята́ (axillésova pʺjatá)vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation
Cite this entry
Achilles heel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Achilles%20heel
“Achilles heel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Achilles%20heel. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Achilles heel,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Achilles%20heel.
Source: Achilles heel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.