ضعيف

See also: ضعیف

Arabic

Root
ض ع ف (ḍ-ʕ-f)

Etymology

فَعِيل (faʕīl)-type stative-verb derived from the active participle from the verb ضَعُفَ (ḍaʕufa, “to become weak, to become thin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dˤa.ʕiːf/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

ضَعِيف • (ḍaʕīf) (feminine ضَعِيفَة (ḍaʕīfa), common plural ضِعَاف (ḍiʕāf), masculine plural ضَعِيفُون (ḍaʕīfūn) or ضُعَفَاء (ḍuʕafāʔ) or ضَعَفَة (ḍaʕafa) or ضَعْفَى (ḍaʕfā) or ضَعَافَى (ḍaʕāfā), feminine plural ضَعِيفَات (ḍaʕīfāt) or ضَعَائِف (ḍaʕāʔif), elative أَضْعَف (ʔaḍʕaf))

1. weak
2. (Islam) weak (describing Prophetic Hadiths)
3. slim, fit, skinny, thin

   Synonyms: نَحِيف (naḥīf), رَشِيق (rašīq)

   Antonyms: سَمِين (samīn), مَتِين (matīn), بَدِين (badīn)

4. feeble
5. limp
6. fragile
7. impotent
8. flaccid

Declension

Declension of adjective ضَعِيف (ḍaʕīf)

Singular	Masculine		Feminine
	basic singular triptote		singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	ضَعِيف ḍaʕīf	الضَّعِيف aḍ-ḍaʕīf	ضَعِيفَة ḍaʕīfa	الضَّعِيفَة aḍ-ḍaʕīfa
Nominative	ضَعِيفٌ ḍaʕīfun	الضَّعِيفُ aḍ-ḍaʕīfu	ضَعِيفَةٌ ḍaʕīfatun	الضَّعِيفَةُ aḍ-ḍaʕīfatu
Accusative	ضَعِيفًا ḍaʕīfan	الضَّعِيفَ aḍ-ḍaʕīfa	ضَعِيفَةً ḍaʕīfatan	الضَّعِيفَةَ aḍ-ḍaʕīfata
Genitive	ضَعِيفٍ ḍaʕīfin	الضَّعِيفِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfi	ضَعِيفَةٍ ḍaʕīfatin	الضَّعِيفَةِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfati
Dual	Masculine		Feminine
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	ضَعِيفَيْن ḍaʕīfayn	الضَّعِيفَيْن aḍ-ḍaʕīfayn	ضَعِيفَتَيْن ḍaʕīfatayn	الضَّعِيفَتَيْن aḍ-ḍaʕīfatayn
Nominative	ضَعِيفَانِ ḍaʕīfāni	الضَّعِيفَانِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfāni	ضَعِيفَتَانِ ḍaʕīfatāni	الضَّعِيفَتَانِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfatāni
Accusative	ضَعِيفَيْنِ ḍaʕīfayni	الضَّعِيفَيْنِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfayni	ضَعِيفَتَيْنِ ḍaʕīfatayni	الضَّعِيفَتَيْنِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfatayni
Genitive	ضَعِيفَيْنِ ḍaʕīfayni	الضَّعِيفَيْنِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfayni	ضَعِيفَتَيْنِ ḍaʕīfatayni	الضَّعِيفَتَيْنِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfatayni
Plural	Masculine		Feminine
	sound masculine plural‎; basic broken plural diptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)‎; broken plural invariable‎; basic broken plural triptote		sound feminine plural‎; basic broken plural diptote‎; basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	ضَعِيفِين‎; ضُعَفَاء‎; ضَعَفَة‎; ضَعْفَى‎; ضَعَافَى‎; ضِعَاف ḍaʕīfīn‎; ḍuʕafāʔ‎; ḍaʕafa‎; ḍaʕfā‎; ḍaʕāfā‎; ḍiʕāf	الضَّعِيفِين‎; الضُّعَفَاء‎; الضَّعَفَة‎; الضَّعْفَى‎; الضَّعَافَى‎; الضِّعَاف aḍ-ḍaʕīfīn‎; aḍ-ḍuʕafāʔ‎; aḍ-ḍaʕafa‎; aḍ-ḍaʕfā‎; aḍ-ḍaʕāfā‎; aḍ-ḍiʕāf	ضَعِيفَات‎; ضَعَائِف‎; ضِعَاف ḍaʕīfāt‎; ḍaʕāʔif‎; ḍiʕāf	الضَّعِيفَات‎; الضَّعَائِف‎; الضِّعَاف aḍ-ḍaʕīfāt‎; aḍ-ḍaʕāʔif‎; aḍ-ḍiʕāf
Nominative	ضَعِيفُونَ‎; ضُعَفَاءُ‎; ضَعَفَةٌ‎; ضَعْفَى‎; ضَعَافَى‎; ضِعَافٌ ḍaʕīfūna‎; ḍuʕafāʔu‎; ḍaʕafatun‎; ḍaʕfā‎; ḍaʕāfā‎; ḍiʕāfun	الضَّعِيفُونَ‎; الضُّعَفَاءُ‎; الضَّعَفَةُ‎; الضَّعْفَى‎; الضَّعَافَى‎; الضِّعَافُ aḍ-ḍaʕīfūna‎; aḍ-ḍuʕafāʔu‎; aḍ-ḍaʕafatu‎; aḍ-ḍaʕfā‎; aḍ-ḍaʕāfā‎; aḍ-ḍiʕāfu	ضَعِيفَاتٌ‎; ضَعَائِفُ‎; ضِعَافٌ ḍaʕīfātun‎; ḍaʕāʔifu‎; ḍiʕāfun	الضَّعِيفَاتُ‎; الضَّعَائِفُ‎; الضِّعَافُ aḍ-ḍaʕīfātu‎; aḍ-ḍaʕāʔifu‎; aḍ-ḍiʕāfu
Accusative	ضَعِيفِينَ‎; ضُعَفَاءَ‎; ضَعَفَةً‎; ضَعْفَى‎; ضَعَافَى‎; ضِعَافًا ḍaʕīfīna‎; ḍuʕafāʔa‎; ḍaʕafatan‎; ḍaʕfā‎; ḍaʕāfā‎; ḍiʕāfan	الضَّعِيفِينَ‎; الضُّعَفَاءَ‎; الضَّعَفَةَ‎; الضَّعْفَى‎; الضَّعَافَى‎; الضِّعَافَ aḍ-ḍaʕīfīna‎; aḍ-ḍuʕafāʔa‎; aḍ-ḍaʕafata‎; aḍ-ḍaʕfā‎; aḍ-ḍaʕāfā‎; aḍ-ḍiʕāfa	ضَعِيفَاتٍ‎; ضَعَائِفَ‎; ضِعَافًا ḍaʕīfātin‎; ḍaʕāʔifa‎; ḍiʕāfan	الضَّعِيفَاتِ‎; الضَّعَائِفَ‎; الضِّعَافَ aḍ-ḍaʕīfāti‎; aḍ-ḍaʕāʔifa‎; aḍ-ḍiʕāfa
Genitive	ضَعِيفِينَ‎; ضُعَفَاءَ‎; ضَعَفَةٍ‎; ضَعْفَى‎; ضَعَافَى‎; ضِعَافٍ ḍaʕīfīna‎; ḍuʕafāʔa‎; ḍaʕafatin‎; ḍaʕfā‎; ḍaʕāfā‎; ḍiʕāfin	الضَّعِيفِينَ‎; الضُّعَفَاءِ‎; الضَّعَفَةِ‎; الضَّعْفَى‎; الضَّعَافَى‎; الضِّعَافِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfīna‎; aḍ-ḍuʕafāʔi‎; aḍ-ḍaʕafati‎; aḍ-ḍaʕfā‎; aḍ-ḍaʕāfā‎; aḍ-ḍiʕāfi	ضَعِيفَاتٍ‎; ضَعَائِفَ‎; ضِعَافٍ ḍaʕīfātin‎; ḍaʕāʔifa‎; ḍiʕāfin	الضَّعِيفَاتِ‎; الضَّعَائِفِ‎; الضِّعَافِ aḍ-ḍaʕīfāti‎; aḍ-ḍaʕāʔifi‎; aḍ-ḍiʕāfi

Antonyms

• قَوِيّ (qawiyy)

Descendants

• Maltese: dgħif
• → Azerbaijani: zəif
• → Kazakh: зағип (zağip)
• → Kumyk: зағип
• → Kyrgyz: зағип
• → Persian: ضعیف

  → Ushojo: ضعیف

• → Ottoman Turkish: ضعیف (zaif, zayıf)

  > Turkish: zayıf (inherited)

  > Turkish: zaif (inherited)

  → Crimean Tatar: zayıf

  → Gagauz: zayıf

  → Armenian: զայիֆ (zayif)

  → Romanian: zaif

• → Swahili: dhaifu
• → Tajik: заиф (zayif)
• → Tatar: зәгыйфь (zägıyf’), zäğif
• → Uyghur: زەئىپ (ze'ip)
• → Uzbek: zaif
• → Yidgha: ضعیف

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic ضَعِيف (ḍaʕīf).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dˤʕiːf/, [dˤʕiːf]

• Audio (Ramallah)

  (file)

Adjective

ضعيف • (ḍʕīf) (feminine ضعيفة (ḍʕīfe), masculine plural ضعاف (ḍʕāf), elative أضعف (ʔaḍʕaf))

1. weak

   Antonym: قوي (ʔawi)

2. thin (of a person)

   Synonym: نحيف (naḥīf)

   Antonyms: (for people) ناصح (nāṣeḥ), (usually for animals) سمين (smīn)

   البنت ضعيفة، لازم تاكل موز.

   il-bint ḍʕīfe, lāzem tākol mōz.

   The girl is thin, she should eat bananas.

See also

• رفيع (rafīʕ, “thin, slender, slin (round object)”)
• رقي (rʔīʔ, “thin, fine (flat object)”)