fallible
Americanadjective
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(of persons) liable to err, especially in being deceived or mistaken.
-
liable to be erroneous or false; not accurate.
fallible information.
adjective
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capable of being mistaken; erring
-
liable to mislead
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fallible
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin fallibilis, equivalent to Latin fall(ī) (passive of fallere “to deceive”) + -ibilis -ible
Explanation
As humans we are all fallible, because fallible means likely to make errors or fail. Nobody's perfect, after all. Fall down on the job and you're fallible. It's a forgiving way to say you screwed up. If a scientific experiment's data is fallible, that means you can't trust the numbers. More than just locking your keys in the car, fallible can allude to a lack of moral strength. If in addition to locking your keys in the car, you kissed your best friend's husband, you might try using "I'm fallible" as your defense.
Vocabulary lists containing fallible
100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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A Wrinkle in Time
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They Called Us Enemy
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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.
Fallible mortals that we all are, most artists cannot expect to get more than four stars.
From The Guardian • May 7, 2020
Fallible minds armed with probable knowledge would necessarily need to accept disagreement.
From Salon • Nov. 26, 2015
Fallible memory, beliefs and wishes can cause people to err in what they tell scientists.
From Reuters • Dec. 17, 2013
Fallible men, men governed by bad passions, by private as well as public reasons.
From Time Magazine Archive
Fallible, fal′i-bl, adj. liable to error or mistake.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
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.
