Meaning & use
Achilles heel
Last updated
UK/əˌkɪliːz ˈhiːl/
US/əˌkɪliːz ˈhiːl/
Meaning
nouncountablefigurative
A single weak point that can cause the failure of someone or something that is otherwise strong.
Grammar: Usually 'the' or 'his/her/its' Achilles heel: Speed is her Achilles heel.
Patterns
- someone's Achilles heel
- the Achilles heel of something
Poor defense was the team's Achilles heel.
Her Achilles heel is chocolate; she cannot say no.
Battery life is the Achilles heel of many phones.
Word forms
| plural | Achilles heels |
|---|
Common combinations
- Achilles heel of
- Cost is the Achilles heel of the project.
- his Achilles heel
- Impatience was his Achilles heel.
- find the Achilles heel
- Rivals tried to find the Achilles heel in our plan.
- the company's Achilles heel
- Weak sales abroad were the company's Achilles heel.
Synonyms and how they differ
- weak spot
- More casual and less dramatic.
- vulnerability
- More formal and technical.
- shortcoming
- Any fault, not necessarily the one fatal weakness.
Opposites
Word family
- Achilles tendon noun
- the tendon at the back of the heel
Commonly confused: Achilles heel or Achilles tendon?
Achilles heel vs Achilles tendon
The tendon is a body part; the heel idiom is a figurative weakness.
Practice
A sprinter wins every race but always collapses at long distances. Long distance is her ___.
Choose one answer.
Achilles heel means a single weakness in an otherwise strong person. The others do not mean weakness.
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