kryptonite en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈkɹɪptənaɪt/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From a fictional radioactive element, kryptonite, that has a detrimental effect on the otherwise invulnerable character Superman. Formed from Superman's home planet Krypton + -ite, which was named after the chemical element krypton.
Meanings
-
(figuratively, uncountable, usually) The one weakness of something or someone that is otherwise invulnerable.
But of course porn is kryptonite to many investors.
2025 May 24, “OnlyFans has a shot at ditching its NSFW image”, in FT Weekend (Lex. section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 20:So while recording or sampling a Charlie Manson track […] makes for shock rock kudos aplenty, a devotion to Hubbard is kryptonite for credibility.
2006 March 25, Jonathan Leggett, “Cult musicians”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 26 Feb 2025:We all have our own kryptonite or kryptonites, so don't tempt yourself by listening to so-called friends who are just demonic tools being used to bring you under.
2016, Marlon Orlando Cole, Orphans: Nature's Beloved, page 93:The terrific seven-grain bread here is the kryptonite of restaurant reviewers: two mini-loaves and you are incapacitated.
1991 October 25, Bryan Miller, “Restaurants: John Clancy's”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 12 Feb 2021:
- (slang, uncountable, usually) Crack cocaine.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| kryptonites | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
glass jaw · weakness · soft spot · kryptonite · weak spot · soft underbelly · weakness · Achilles heel · Achilles heel · vulnerability · chink in the armor
Translations (27)
mr क्रिप्टोनाइट (weakness) · sh kriptonit (weakness) · it kryptonite (weakness) · fr kryptonite (weakness) · nl kryptoniet (weakness) · cy cryptonit (weakness) · el κρυπτονίτης (weakness) · ru криптони́т (weakness) · ka კრიპტონიტი (weakness) · ro kriptonită (weakness) · pt kryptonita (weakness) · af kriptoniet (weakness) · de wunder Punkt (weakness) · da kryptonit (weakness) · es kryptonita (weakness) · fi kryptoniitti (weakness) · ja クリプトナイト (weakness) · de Achillesferse (weakness) · de Kryptonit (weakness) · eo kriptonito (weakness) · sh криптонит (weakness) · cmn 克星 (weakness) · es criptonita (weakness) · ca kriptonita (weakness) · sk kryptonit (weakness) · sv kryptonit (weakness) · de Schwachstelle (weakness)
wikipedia: kryptonite · wikipedia: Krypton (comics) · wikipedia: Superman