faulty

[fawl-tee]

See more synonyms for faulty on Thesaurus.com

adjective, fault·i·er, fault·i·est.

having faults or defects; imperfect.

Origin of faulty

First recorded in 1300–50, faulty is from the Middle English word fauty. See fault, -y¹

Related formsfault·i·ly, adverbfault·i·ness, nounnon·fault·y, adjectiveun·fault·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for faulty

Contemporary Examples

A senior Labour Party MP scoffed at what he suggested was faulty logic.
Britain’s Let-Em-All-Die Policy
Nico Hines, Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 1, 2014
Hongkongers aren't asking to secede from China, but Beijing's faulty calculus is only alienating the city.
Is Hong Kong Tiananmen 2.0?
Brendon Hong
September 29, 2014
But the fact remains that the accident would never have occurred in the first place were it not for the faulty switch.
The Cops Who Found Out the Truth About GM's Deadly Cars—in 2006
Michael Daly
July 17, 2014
The view is faulty, both in it engineering claims and its economic conclusions.
The FCC Must Ignore the Silly ‘Net Neutrality’ Advocates
Nick Gillespie
May 19, 2014
Even with faulty projectors and seats that were falling apart, Afghans seemed very excited when the cinemas reopened.
Kabul's Major Motion Picture: Cinema's Rebirth in Afghanistan
Justin Jones
April 13, 2014

Historical Examples

Spare me not, therefore, my dear friend, whenever you think me in the least faulty.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
My conduct must then have a faulty appearance at least, and I will endeavour to rectify it.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
His technique was faulty, his colors daring, perhaps—but his triumph was for that the greater.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
All his trouble, and mine too, is owing to his faulty character.
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
If not, woman must be content with faulty representations of her ideal.
Beauty and The Beast, and Tales From Home
Bayard Taylor

British Dictionary definitions for faulty

faulty

adjective faultier or faultiest

defective or imperfect
archaic culpable

Derived Formsfaultily, adverbfaultiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for faulty

adj.

late 14c., from fault (n.) + -y (2). Related: Faultiness.

faulty

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}faulty

Examples from the Web for faulty

Contemporary Examples

A senior Labour Party MP scoffed at what he suggested was faulty logic.

Hongkongers aren't asking to secede from China, but Beijing's faulty calculus is only alienating the city.

But the fact remains that the accident would never have occurred in the first place were it not for the faulty switch.

The view is faulty, both in it engineering claims and its economic conclusions.

Even with faulty projectors and seats that were falling apart, Afghans seemed very excited when the cinemas reopened.

Historical Examples

Spare me not, therefore, my dear friend, whenever you think me in the least faulty.

My conduct must then have a faulty appearance at least, and I will endeavour to rectify it.

His technique was faulty, his colors daring, perhaps—but his triumph was for that the greater.

All his trouble, and mine too, is owing to his faulty character.

If not, woman must be content with faulty representations of her ideal.

faulty

Word Origin and History for faulty

adj.

Origin of faulty