downfall vs weakening

downfall and weakening both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
downfall	Yes	No	No	No
weakening	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, weakening is a hypernym of downfall; that is, weakening is a word with a broader meaning than downfall:

downfall (noun)	weakening (noun)
a sudden decline in strength or number or importance	the act of reducing the strength of something
failure that results in a loss of position or reputation	becoming weaker
the falling to earth of any form of water (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)

downfall (adjective)	weakening (adjective)
	causing debilitation
	moderating by making pain or sorrow weaker