faulty
Americanadjective
adjective
-
defective or imperfect
-
archaic culpable
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of faulty
First recorded in 1300–50, faulty is from the Middle English word fauty. See fault, -y 1
Explanation
Something that's faulty is full of mistakes — it's wrong. Faulty logic often leads people to make terrible decisions, since they're based on an incorrect way of thinking. A faulty explanation is based on errors, and a faulty machine doesn't work the way it's supposed to. If your chocolate chip cookies keep coming out burned, your stove may be faulty — or you may be baking them too long. If your car's brakes are faulty, it won't stop as quickly as it should, and if your furnace is faulty, it will be a long, cold winter. Faulty and fail share a common Latin root word.
Vocabulary lists containing faulty
Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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Drama
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Way Off: Synonyms for "Wrong"
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
