← Back to Fala2Me

weak attempt

[/wiːk əˈtɛmpt/]
noun phrasepl: weak attempts
tentativa fraca
1. An effort or try that lacks strength, conviction, or effectiveness; a feeble or inadequate endeavor
His weak attempt at humor fell flat with the audience.
Sua tentativa fraca de humor não funcionou com o público.
2. An unsuccessful or unconvincing effort to accomplish something
The team made only a weak attempt to defend their title.
O time fez apenas uma tentativa fraca para defender seu título.
NYC Slang
weak sauce / lame effort
Synonyms
feeble attemptpoor attempthalfhearted attemptlame attemptfutile attemptfailed attempt
Antonyms
strong attemptvigorous attemptdetermined effortearnest attemptrobust effort

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
tentativa fraca
standard usage across Brazil
São Paulo
tentativa fraca / tentativa meia-boca
meia-boca is colloquial for halfhearted
Rio de Janeiro
tentativa fraca / fraco demais
common informal usage
Portugal
tentativa fraca / tentativa miserável
standard Portuguese usage

Related Idioms & Phrases

not worth the effort
fall flat
miss the mark
come up short
go through the motions
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →