feeble structure

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "feeble structure" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is weak, fragile, or lacking in strength, often in a physical or metaphorical sense. Example: "The old bridge had a feeble structure, making it unsafe for vehicles to cross."

✓ Grammatically correct

City, Territory and Architecture

Forbes

The Guardian - Books

Huffington Post

AoB PLANTS

The New York Times

The Economist

Chemistry Central Journal

The Guardian - Arts

The New York Times

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Learning from the scheme of the six s's, the main condition seems to be that the building ought in some way to have the predisposition to accommodate and embrace the requirement of different velocities of change, and to embrace it in the "right" way (in this sense, a perfect "anti-building", with an extremely rigid furniture and an utterly feeble structure and site, would be maximally fragile).

City, Territory and Architecture

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

"The real story of Dubai is that it was a trick," says Christopher Davidson, a political science professor at Durham University in the U.K. Underlying Dubai's liberal, investor-friendly climate are a feeble legal structure prone to government interference and a capricious approach to settling cases involving defaults, restructurings and foreigners' rights.

Forbes

The story was narrated in the third person then, and though the characters felt alive and specific to me, the structure was feeble and the narration felt flat, without heat or dimension.

The Guardian - Books

What surprised me the most... was the sketchy and episodic structure of the narrative, the feeble attempts at melodramatic tension and suspense, and the clumsily corny and anticlimactic ending with its halfhearted four-letter-word mantra.

Huffington Post

In this study, we found a rather feeble effect of alien plants on the structure of pollination networks.

AoB PLANTS

While such a loosely woven corporate structure may at first appear too feeble to sustain a business over the long haul, executives predict it will become a mainstay of the new economy.

The New York Times

Bosses in Italy are adept at creating fiddly capital structures that fortify their control and feeble at building competitive multinationals.Second, France is attempting to impose double voting rights as a default option.

The Economist

The liberal nature of the H-bond potential, which is primarily manifest within secondary structure elements, can be (visually) ignored because these feeble H-bonds are clustered within a high density of the stabilizing H-bonds.

Chemistry Central Journal

So Banham, with his weakness for feeble wordplay, linked brutality with concrete, even though there had been concrete structures since the Romans, most of them pacific.

The Guardian - Arts

Neither the losses in the 2008 credit crunch nor the feeble returns during the ensuing seven-year euro zone crisis did much to bring down the archetypal fee structure: 2 percent management fee and 20 percent of gains.

The New York Times

Energetic power structures with real roots, based on clans, religions, oligarchies, or ideological movements, have replaced the feeble and corrupt pseudo-democratic governments the US has helped put into place.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "feeble structure", consider the context. It can apply literally to buildings or infrastructure, or metaphorically to arguments, organizations, or systems. Ensure the intended meaning aligns with the audience's understanding.

Common error

Avoid overuse of "feeble structure" in academic or formal writing if more precise language is available. While acceptable, phrases like "unstable system" or "deficient framework" might convey more specific weaknesses.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "feeble structure" functions as an adjective-noun combination, where 'feeble' modifies the noun 'structure'. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in English, indicating that it correctly describes a physical or metaphorical weakness.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Academia

10%

Wiki

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "feeble structure" is used to describe something lacking strength or stability, applicable both literally (buildings) and metaphorically (arguments). According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct. It appears primarily in news and media contexts, suggesting a neutral register. While "feeble structure" is generally acceptable, stronger synonyms like "weak framework" or "unstable edifice" could offer more precision, depending on the intended meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

weak framework

Focuses on the underlying system or skeleton being deficient.

fragile construction

Emphasizes the delicacy and vulnerability of the built form.

unstable edifice

Highlights the lack of stability and potential for collapse.

flimsy build

Suggests poor quality materials and construction methods.

tenuous framework

Implies a weak and easily broken underlying system.

deficient foundation

Focuses on the inadequacy of the base or support system.

inadequate infrastructure

Highlights the insufficient provision of essential support systems.

poorly designed system

Emphasizes flaws in the planning and arrangement of components.

shaky infrastructure

Highlights the uncertainty and unreliability of the fundamental support systems.

vulnerable system

Emphasizes the susceptibility of the system to damage or failure.

FAQs

How can I use "feeble structure" in a sentence?

You can use "feeble structure" to describe something physically weak, like "The old shack had a "feeble structure" and was close to collapsing", or something metaphorically weak, like "The argument had a "feeble structure" and was easily refuted".

What are some alternatives to "feeble structure"?

Alternatives include "weak framework", "fragile construction", or "unstable edifice", depending on the specific context.

Is "feeble structure" formal or informal?

"Feeble structure" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts, though more precise synonyms may be preferable in academic or technical writing.

What does it mean for something to have a "feeble structure"?

It means that something lacks strength, stability, or is poorly constructed, making it vulnerable to collapse or failure. This can apply to physical structures, arguments, organizations or systems.