faulty

[fawl-tee]

adjective

faultier, faultiest 

1. having faults or defects; imperfect.

faulty

/ ˈfɔːltɪ /

adjective

1. defective or imperfect

2. archaic,  culpable

Other Word Forms

• faultily adverb
• faultiness noun
• nonfaulty adjective
• unfaulty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of faulty¹

First recorded in 1300–50, faulty is from the Middle English word fauty. See fault, -y ¹

Example Sentences

In April, two defence ministry officials and the director of a defence plant and his deputy were arrested on suspicion of supplying tens of thousands of faulty shells to the army.

Read more on Barron's

Much later, investigators would realize that faulty readings from the broken gauge accompanied by the sound of the explosion from unit 4 had led operators to the wrong conclusion.

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If that process fails, the faulty proteins are targeted for breakdown into amino acids so they can be recycled.

Read more on Science Daily

The bipartisan Robb-Silberman commission later praised his probing approach and criticized the CIA’s faulty reporting on Iraq.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

FirstPort says the problem was caused by faulty cavity wall insulation installed by British Gas 11 years ago.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• broken 
• cracked 
• damaged www.thesaurus.com
• defective 
• deficient 
• erroneous 
• false 
• flawed 
• imprecise 
• inaccurate 
• inadequate 
• incomplete 
• insufficient 
• invalid 
• leaky 
• malfunctioning www.thesaurus.com
• unreliable