Thesis Weakening

A thesis does not always go from healthy to invalid in one candle. Often the evidence degrades first. Friction may increase, directional bodies may shrink, counter-direction bodies may become more substantial, structural overlap may deepen, or follow-through may repeatedly fail.

That is thesis weakening. The market has not yet done the specific thing you defined as invalidation, but the conditions that made the trade attractive are no longer as strong as they were at entry.

Weakening is useful because it allows trade management to respond to changing evidence without pretending the thesis is already dead. Depending on the plan, you might reduce risk, stop trailing aggressively, take partial profit, or simply become more alert. The key is consistency: define what weakening looks like in terms of observable behavior rather than using the label whenever a trade temporarily moves against you.