Strength

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈstɹɛŋθ/
• US IPA: /ˈstɹɛnθ/
• US IPA: /ˈstɹeɪŋθ/
• Rhymes: -ɛŋθ, -É›nθ

Origin

From Old English strengþu (corresponding to strong + -th). Written strenght in the 1534 Tyndale English translation of the Bible.

Full definition of strength

Noun

1. The quality or degree of being strong.
   It requires great strength to lift heavy objects.
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616)Our castle's strength will laugh a siege to scorn.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 5, He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, …, the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.
2. The intensity of a force or power; potency.
   He had the strength of ten men.
• 1699, William Temple, Heads designed for an essay on conversationsStudy gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it.
3. The strongest part of something; that on which confidence or reliance is based.
• Bible, Psalms xlvi. 1God is our refuge and strength.
• Jeremy Taylor (1613–1677)Certainly there is not a greater strength against temptation.
4. A positive attribute.
   We all have our own strengths and weaknesses.
5. (obsolete) A strong place; a stronghold.

Synonyms

• fortitude
• power
• ability
• capability
• potency
• expertise

Antonyms

• (The quality of being strong) weakness
• (A positive attribute) weakness

Derived terms

Related terms

• strong
• strongly

Verb

1. (obsolete) To give strength to; to strengthen. 12th-17th c.
• 1395, John Wycliffe, Bible, Job IV:Lo! thou hast tauȝt ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.