fallibility

American  

[fal-uh-bil-i-tee] / ˌfæl əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Rarely fallibleness

noun

1. liability to be deceived or mistaken.

   Many leaders fail to grasp that admissions of fallibility and uncertainty are actually signs of strength.

2. liability to be inaccurate or false, or to fall short of expectations.

   Banks are hoping to get a new card system up and running before the fallibility of the old one becomes public.

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Etymology

Origin of fallibility

fall(ible) ( def. ) + -ibility ( def. )

Explanation

Fallibility is the tendency to be wrong or make mistakes. Your fallibility in guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar means you can't count on getting the number right and winning a prize. Fallibility is a quality that everyone has, since we all make misjudgments from time to time. You might remark on the fallibility of your little brother's plan to row a boat from Connecticut to Florida, especially if there's a hole in the boat and he's not a strong swimmer. The plan, in other words, has too many errors to work well. The Latin root is fallibilis, "liable to err or deceitful."

Example Sentences

Fallibility Of The Pattern My research shows that as time passes, the well-known technical patterns have been becoming less reliable.

From Forbes • Oct. 10, 2012

PROEM:—More Properly an Apologue, and Treats of the Fallibility of Soap The Duke of Ormskirk left Halvergate on the following day, after participation in two dialogues, which I abridge.

From Gallantry Dizain des Fetes Galantes by Cabell, James Branch

Or the Powers That Be, or the Fallibility of Man, whatever you want to call it.

From Hanging by a Thread by Garrett, Randall

Related Words

• frailty