weakness of will
Knowing but faltering
Weakness of will is acting against your own better judgment—knowing what you should do but failing to do it.
You resolve to wake early, eat less, or finish the project, then don't: I meant to go to the gym, but weakness of will kept me on the couch.
Philosophy calls this akrasia.
The phrase implies the capacity for self-control exists but wasn't exercised.
- temptationUrge toward the unwise
- guilty pleasureEnjoyment tinged with shame
- procrastinationHabitual task avoidance
- indulgenceYielding to desire
- surrenderCease resistance, yield
caving · relapse · falling off the wagon · impulse · one more time · giving in · caving in · craving · resistance · discipline · succumb · yield · falter · waver · buckle · backslide · addiction · regret
- free willchoice, volition, autonomy, initiative, agency
- moral psychologymoral reasoning, moral judgment, moral development, moral intuition, conscience
- Greek ethicsarete, Nicomachean Ethics, practical wisdom, golden mean, telos
weakness of willstrength of will
Mental power to persist
willpower · resolve · iron will · determination · steadfastness
weakness of willtemperance
Habitual moderation in behavior
self-command · continence · moral strength · strength of character · integrity
weakness, weak, weaken, weakened, weakening, weakens, weakly, weaker, weakest