Definition

Adjective: 1. Soft and lacking firmness: Describes something, especially flesh or muscle, that is loose, yielding, and not firm or toned. 2. Weak or ineffectual: Used figuratively to describe something lacking strength, vigor, or determination; feeble or flaccid in character.

Usage

The word "flabby" is primarily used to describe physical softness due to lack of muscle tone or excess fat. It carries a negative connotation, implying a lack of fitness or firmness. Its figurative use criticizes a lack of strength, resolve, or intellectual rigor.

Examples

• Physical softness:
  • After months without exercise, his stomach became flabby.
  • The flabby skin on her arm jiggled as she waved.
• Figurative weakness:
  • The company's flabby management failed to make decisive changes.
  • His argument was flabby and unconvincing, full of logical holes.

Advanced Usage

• "Flabby thinking": Refers to reasoning that is imprecise, undisciplined, or lacking in intellectual rigor.
  • The report was dismissed due to its flabby thinking and lack of data.
• "Go flabby": To become soft or weak.
  • Without constant training, an athlete's muscles will go flabby.

Variants and Related Words

• Flabbiness (n): The state or quality of being flabby.
  • He was concerned about the flabbiness around his waist.
• Flaccid (adj): Similar in meaning to "flabby," often used interchangeably for soft, limp, or lacking firmness. "Flaccid" can also apply to plant parts and is common in medical/biological contexts.

Synonyms

• Soft: Yielding readily to pressure; not hard or firm.
• Flimsy: Lacking solidity or strength; easily damaged.
• Limp: Lacking stiffness or firmness.
• Feeble: Lacking physical strength, especially as a result of age or illness.

Antonyms

• Firm: Solid, compact, or unyielding to pressure.
• Taut: Stretched or pulled tight; not slack.
• Toned: Having firm, well-defined muscles.
• Robust: Strong and healthy; vigorous.

Adjective

1. out of condition; not strong or robust; incapable of exertion or endurance
   • he was too soft for the army
   • flabby around the middle
   • flaccid cheeks