kryptonite

/ˈkɹɪptənaɪt/

kryptonite noun: the one weakness of something or someone that is otherwise invulnerable.

Noun

kryptonite (usually uncountable, plural kryptonites)

(figuratively, usually) The one weakness of something or someone that is otherwise invulnerable.
- 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
- 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
Synonyms:

Achilles heel, weakness, chink in the armor, glass jaw, soft spot, soft underbelly, vulnerability, weak spot
(slang, usually) Crack cocaine.

Verb

kryptonite (third-person singular simple present kryptonites, present participle kryptoniting, simple past and past participle kryptonited)

(transitive) To expose to, or attack with, kryptonite.
- And even those two were pretty puny, like Superman after he had been kryptonited.1998, Phillip Gwynne, Deadly Unna?, Melbourne: Penguin, page 173
(figuratively, transitive) To destroy, wreck, or ruin; to affect adversely, as Superman is affected by kryptonite.

kryptonite meaning in Marathi

kryptonite in Marathi

weakness: क्रिप्टोनाइट kripṭonāiṭ

Examples of kryptonite in a sentence

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:
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...

Synonyms of kryptonite

All synonyms of kryptonite

Forms of kryptonite

Noun
plural	kryptonites
Verb
third-person singular present	kryptonites
present participle	kryptoniting
past participle	kryptonited
past	kryptonited

Origin of kryptonite

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.

Questions about kryptonite

What does kryptonite mean?: Kryptonite means the one weakness of something or someone that is otherwise invulnerable.
What is kryptonite in Marathi?: Kryptonite in Marathi is क्रिप्टोनाइट (kripṭonāiṭ). See Kryptonite meaning in Marathi.
How do you use kryptonite in a sentence?: 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.
What part of speech is kryptonite?: Kryptonite can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce kryptonite?: Kryptonite is pronounced /ˈkɹɪptənaɪt/.
What is the plural of kryptonite?: The plural of kryptonite is kryptonites.

Words near kryptonite in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: kryptonite (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-kryptonite.wav.

Cite this entry: “kryptonite.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/kryptonite. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.