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Achilles heel
" Anybody who has political ambition has an Achilles heel."
James Callis

Meaning of "Achilles heel" in the English dictionary

DICTIONARY

PRONUNCIATION OF ACHILLES HEEL

Achilles heel


GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF ACHILLES HEEL

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Achilles heel is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES ACHILLES HEEL MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Achilles' heel

An Achilles heel is a deadly weakness in spite of overall strength, which can actually or potentially lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common.

Definition of Achilles heel in the English dictionary

The definition of Achilles heel in the dictionary is a small but fatal weakness.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE ACHILLES HEEL

Achill Island · achillea · Achillean · Achilles · Achilles tendon · achimenes · achiness · aching · achingly · achiote · achiral · Achitophel

WORDS THAT END LIKE ACHILLES HEEL

at the wheel · Cuban heel · down at heel · Ferris wheel · flywheel · French heel · heel · kitten heel · pinwheel · rear wheel · spare wheel · spike heel · steering wheel · stiletto heel · the wheel · thumbwheel · to heel · toe and heel · wedge heel · wheel

Synonyms and antonyms of Achilles heel in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «ACHILLES HEEL»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «Achilles heel» and belong to the same grammatical category.

Translation of «Achilles heel» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR

TRANSLATION OF ACHILLES HEEL

Find out the translation of Achilles heel to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of Achilles heel from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «Achilles heel» in English.
zh

Translator English - Chinese

阿喀琉斯之踵
1,325 millions of speakers
es

Translator English - Spanish

talón de Aquiles
570 millions of speakers
en

English

Achilles heel
510 millions of speakers
hi

Translator English - Hindi

Achilles एड़ी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

كعب أخيل
280 millions of speakers
ru

Translator English - Russian

ахиллесова пята
278 millions of speakers
pt

Translator English - Portuguese

calcanhar de Aquiles
270 millions of speakers
bn

Translator English - Bengali

অ্যাকিলিস হিল
260 millions of speakers
fr

Translator English - French

talon d´Achille
220 millions of speakers
ms

Translator English - Malay

titik kelemahan
190 millions of speakers
de

Translator English - German

Achillesferse
180 millions of speakers
ja

Translator English - Japanese

弱点
130 millions of speakers
ko

Translator English - Korean

아킬레스
85 millions of speakers
jv

Translator English - Javanese

Tumit Achilles
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

gót chân Achilles
80 millions of speakers
ta

Translator English - Tamil

குதிகால் குதிரை
75 millions of speakers
mr

Translator English - Marathi

अकिलिस टाच
75 millions of speakers
tr

Translator English - Turkish

Aşil topuğu
70 millions of speakers
it

Translator English - Italian

tallone d´Achille
65 millions of speakers
pl

Translator English - Polish

piętą achillesową
50 millions of speakers
uk

Translator English - Ukrainian

ахіллесова п´ята
40 millions of speakers
ro

Translator English - Romanian

călcâiul lui Ahile
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αχίλλειος πτέρνα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

Achilleshiel
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

akilleshäl
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

akilleshæl
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of Achilles heel

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ACHILLES HEEL»

Principal search tendencies and common uses of Achilles heel
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «Achilles heel».

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about Achilles heel

EXAMPLES

5 QUOTES WITH «ACHILLES HEEL»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word Achilles heel.
1
Tim Berners-Lee
The Domain Name Server (DNS) is the Achilles heel of the Web. The important thing is that it's managed responsibly.
2
Judy Biggert
Our dependence on foreign energy sources is our Achilles heel, not just in the realm of diplomacy, but in terms of our future as the world's economic leader.
3
James Callis
Anybody who has political ambition has an Achilles heel.
4
Bill Gross
In questioning initially whether I am a great investor, I open the door to question whether other similarly esteemed public icons like Bill Miller are as well. It seems, perhaps, that the longer and longer you keep at it in this business the more and more time you have to expose your Achilles heel - wherever and whatever that might be.
5
Joe Manchin
Our workers comp debt is the Achilles heel of our state's economy, and I firmly believe that in order to create more good jobs in West Virginia this system must be fixed and it must be fixed now. We cannot afford to wait even one more minute.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ACHILLES HEEL»

Discover the use of Achilles heel in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to Achilles heel and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Capitalism's Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the ...
With this book, Baker provides a fascinating insider's look at the way criminals, terrorists, and businesspeople move dirty money around the world, impoverishing billions and corrupting capitalism's ideals of fair play.
Raymond W. Baker, 2005
2
America's Achilles' Heel: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical ...
This volume analyzes the nature and limits of the covert NBC threat and proposes a measured set of policy responses, focused on improving intelligence and consequence-management capabilities to reduce U.S. vulnerability.About the authors: ...
Richard A Falkenrath, Robert D Newman, Bradley A Thayer, 1998
3
Achilles' Heel
Military Intelligence analyst Bill Lane must find and stop a supposedly dead ex-KGB agent, while investigating the mysterious disappearance of a sub and its crew in a sharply written geo-political thriller from one of the top writers in the ...
Sean Flannery, 1999
4
The Achilles Heel Reader: Men, Sexual Politics and Socialism
First published in 1991, The Achilles Heel Reader brings together key articles from Achilles Heel, the path-breaking and influential magazine of men's sexual politics.
Victor J. Seidler, 2011
5
From Achilles' heel to Zeus's shield
From Achilles' Heel to Zeus's Shield explores the origins, meaning, and modern usage of more than 300 words and phrases.
Dale Corey, Dale Corey Dibbley, 1993
6
The Achilles Heel Reader (Routledge Revivals): Men, Sexual ...
First published in 1991, The Achilles Heel Reader brings together key articles from Achilles Heel, the path-breaking and influential magazine of men's sexual politics.
Victor Seidler, 2012
7
The Greek Tycoon's Achilles Heel (Mills & Boon Modern) (The ...
An innocent for the Greek Lysandros Demetriou: shipping magnate and Athens’ most sought-after bachelor.
Lucy Gordon, 2010
8
Men, Sex and Relationships: Writings From Achilles Heel
Drawn from contributions to the magazine Achilles Heel this book provides the reader with helpful and illuminating material on men's relationships with others.
Victor J. Seidler, 2003
9
Protect Your Achilles Heel: Crafting Armor for the New Age ...
Drawing on the legend of Achilles and his skill on the battlefield, the bestselling author of "Atilla the Hun" presents a book about overcoming character flaws that lead to lower productivity and create a hostile workplace environment.
Wess Roberts, 1998
10
Bull's eye or Achilles' heel: WHO's European Health for All ...
This report evaluates the achievement of the 38 health targets formulated by the World Health Organization in the European region.
Harry P. A. van de Water, Loes M. van Herten, Nederlandse Centrale Organisatie voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1996

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ACHILLES HEEL»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term Achilles heel is used in the context of the following news items.
1
French renewables power grid pilot shows limits of batteries in Europe
But the cost of batteries is the project's Achilles Heel. From the Nice pilot, ERDF has learned that battery storage in Europe costs 500 to 1,000 ... «Reuters UK, Jul 15»
2
Versace haute couture review: Beautiful evening dresses are some …
Those shoes are Donatella's Achilles heel, and her goddesses' feet of clay. It's time to move on, to shoes that women can really move in. «The Independent, Jul 15»
3
France hopes for more glory in this year's Tour de France
... Tour de France, especially as Saturday's prologue was the only time he will be confronted with an individual time trial -- his Achilles heel. «FRANCE 24, Jul 15»
4
Greece: Is it all in the game theory?
... want to stay in the Euro) - when it comes to negotiations with the Troika, Syriza's pro-Euro stance has arguably been its “Achilles Heel.”. «RT, Jul 15»
5
Japan's emergence as a world soccer power an amazing feat
But we are instead obsessed with winning, our greatest Achilles heel when it comes to all that is wrong with youth soccer in the United States, ... «Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jul 15»
6
Lalu Prasad's conscience keepers: From Radha Babu to Bhola Yadav
Incidentally, critics of the RJD chief say, it was the wily politician's arrogant ways and love for sycophancy, which proved to be his Achilles heel. «Hindustan Times, Jul 15»
7
The Town Jigsaw Is Almost Complete!
I am really looking forward to seeing Ryan Frazer storming down the wings and he score goals too which as been the achilles heel of our ... «Vitalfootball, Jul 15»
8
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 preview
The display is really the Achilles heel of the tablet. The pixel density is far too low in this day and age. Even budget smartphones have sharper ... «GSMArena.com, Jul 15»
9
Colorado Rapids' "three-headed dragon" of Sanchez, Doyle …
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids attack was transformed from an Achilles heel into a many-headed hydra on Saturday night, ... «MLSsoccer.com, Jul 15»
10
The Battle for Pride Rock begins as the two MLS lions meet for the …
... continued to be it Achilles Heel. This could prove to be the defining factor in the match as RSL's preferred backline is still not fully available. «RSL Soapbox, Jul 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Achilles heel [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/achilles-heel>. May 2024 ».
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