fallible

[fal-uh-buhl]

adjective

1. (of persons) liable to err, especially in being deceived or mistaken.

2. liable to be erroneous or false; not accurate.

   fallible information.

fallible

/ ˈfælɪbəl /

adjective

1. capable of being mistaken; erring

2. liable to mislead

Other Word Forms

• fallibility noun
• fallibleness noun
• fallibly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fallible¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin fallibilis, equivalent to Latin fall(ī) (passive of fallere “to deceive”) + -ibilis -ible

Word History and Origins

Origin of fallible¹

C15: from Medieval Latin fallibilis , from Latin fallere to deceive

Example Sentences

“The people that are doing the work are people, they are fallible,” LaVoi said.

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Such struggles are reminders of how the Dodgers remain fallible in their pursuit of another World Series.

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Fogelman: And ultimately, we try and make everybody fallible, but also everybody kind of have a point of view and a place where they’re coming from.

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As a portrait of a trailblazer, Costantini’s film shows us that heroes are fallible.

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“Those are noble ideals. That’s what makes American democracy great. But the weakness of American democracy is also in those words … because the people are fallible. They make mistakes.”

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Related Words

• faulty 
• frail 
• imperfect 
• untrustworthy