peccadillo
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of peccadillo
1585–95; < Spanish pecadillo, diminutive of pecado sin < Latin peccātum transgression, noun use of neuter of past participle of peccāre to err, offend
Explanation
A peccadillo is a minor offense or sin. Parents recognize that their kids have a few peccadilloes: they don't always remember to say please and thank you, don't put their dirty clothes in the hamper, and worst of all, they keep finding the chocolate stash! Peccadillo is based on the Spanish word peccado, meaning "sin," with a diminutive added, making peccadillo a small sin. How big a sin is a peccadillo? Well, that depends on whom you ask. The person committing the offense is likely to try to pass off any number of transgressions and mistakes as peccadilloes. If you apologize and are forgiven, it's probably a peccadillo. If your transgression could get you fired, it's probably not!
Vocabulary lists containing peccadillo
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Scotland has one peccadillo and that is Cardinal O'Brien," he says.
From BBC • May 7, 2025
A love of disinformation is the peccadillo that springs from bigotry, not the other way around.
From Salon • Jul. 13, 2022
But at L.S.U., about the only unpardonable peccadillo is failing to win.
From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2021
This is not a whimsical peccadillo to be written off against the backdrop of an otherwise progressive outlook.
From Slate • Nov. 8, 2018
One trifling peccadillo he perhaps forgot to mention.
From The Last Words of Distinguished Men and Women (Real and Traditional) by Marvin, Frederic Rowland
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.
