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

"As a leader, much of my day is spent chasing works, reporting leaks, faulty toilets, broken windows - whilst essential, this should not be my primary focus," she told BBC News NI.

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In the brain, blocking this cleanup leads to a buildup of faulty mitochondria that release toxins and trigger neuron death, worsening memory loss and cognitive decline.

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A gene-editing approach called prime editing could one day help treat many illnesses by turning faulty genes into healthy ones.

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He and his wife Caroline were forced to put in £35,000 of their own savings to make up for "losses" created by the faulty software.

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Separately thousands of military veterans are taking legal action against the MoD and an earplug manufacturer after being given ear protection they say was faulty.

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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