flawed
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flawed
Explanation
Things that are flawed are less than perfect. A flawed dinner plate might have a small chip in it, and a flawed English paper includes at least one mistake. Flawed objects have some kind of imperfection — a dent or a blemish. No one's perfect, so everyone is flawed in some way, but when this word describes a person it often means "weak in character."A Shakespearian flawed hero has some flaw or foible that will ultimately be his undoing: in other words, a "fatal flaw." Flawed comes from flaw, originally "a flake of snow," later "a splinter," and finally "an imperfection."
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.
"I am a flawed human being who makes mistakes and am filled with shame over this incident. I am truly very sorry," she said at the time.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
I listen to music because it’s flawed, raw and human, not just noise to fill my day.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Allegiant Air, the U.S. discount carrier, is operating 737 MAX jets with the flawed software.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
He’s the flawed Shakespearean villain of the piece in whose future lies, what?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Reverend Lanier had and concluded that, while Mr. Van Dyke’s theology was flawed, his message was clear.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
