weak-minded

adjective

Having or exhibiting a mind that lacks steadfastness, resoluteness or especially judgment; not strong-minded.

First used 1530s
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Meanings

adjective
  1. Having or exhibiting a mind that lacks steadfastness, resoluteness or especially judgment; not strong-minded.First known use 1530s

    Stupid, she told herself. Vain, weak-minded, and stupid.

    2009, J. V. Jones, A Cavern of Black Ice
    5 more examples

    Jabba the Hutt: I told you not to admit him. / Luke Skywalker: I must be allowed to speak. / Bib Fortuna: He must be allowed to speak. / Jabba the Hutt: You weak-minded fool! He's using an old Jedi mind trick! / Luke Skywalker: You will bring Captain Solo and the wookie to me. / Jabba the Hutt: Your mind powers will not work on me, boy.

    1983 May 25, 23:15 from the start, in Return of the Jedi (Star Wars), episode VI (Science Fiction), Lucasfilm Ltd., →OCLC

    I have lost count of how many times I have heard that Christianity is a crutch for weak-minded people, who can't make it in life without faith.

    2012, Ray Comfort, Comfort Food, →ISBN

    Plato sympathizes with the desire to influence weak-minded people. However, rather than directly controlling the minds of such people by the power of his own will, he uses the power of his thought to construct a myth designed to control the beliefs of the weak-minded by appealing to their imagination.

    2013, Kevin S. Decker, Jason T. Eberl, William Irwin, Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine, →ISBN

    Biden may be old, but he is far from the debilitated, weak-minded caricature drawn of him by right-wing media.

    2024 March 8, David Horsey, “‘Uncommitted’ voters have to face political reality”, in Seattle Times

    But police said he was arrogant and manipulative, while Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah was weak-minded and gullible.

    2024 December 5, Katie Thompson, Annie Delaney, “The fictional kingdom of couple who buried son in garden”, in BBC News
  2. historicaloffensiveMentally or intellectually deficient; feeble-minded; half-witted.First known use ca. 1700

    Their mother is insane ; father somewhat weak-minded.

    1899, Alexander Johnson, “Concerning a form of degeneracy”, in Albion W. Small et al., editors, American Journal of Sociology, volume 4, Chicago: University of Chicago, page 331
    2 more examples

    […] they have been looked upon as unstable and the result has been weak-minded progeny.

    1907, George Henry Savage, The increase of insanity: the Lumleian lectures […] , London: Cassell and Company, Limited, page 37

    Altogether thirty-four out of 146 'criminal lunatics' admitted to the asylum between 1852 and 1890 were described as weak-minded or imbecile by the asylum staff.

    2004, William F. Bynum, Roy Porter, Michael Shepherd, The Anatomy of Madness: Essays in the History of Psychiatry, Volume 3, →ISBN, page 279

Synonyms & antonyms

Broader
lacking
Narrower
foolishstupid
Also see
weak-headed

Origin

From weak + minded. Probably related to weak (“mentally or intellectually deficient”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish heikkotahtoinen, heikko
  • heikkotahtoinenweak-willed
  • heikkocharacterized by weakness
  • heikkomielinenmentally deficient
  • typeräfoolish or ignorant
German willensschwach
  • willensschwachweak-willed
Cite this entry
APA

weak-minded. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/weak-minded

MLA

“weak-minded.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/weak-minded. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “weak-minded,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/weak-minded.

Source: weak-minded on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.