faulty
Americanadjective
adjective
-
defective or imperfect
-
archaic culpable
Other Word Forms
- faultily adverb
- faultiness noun
- nonfaulty adjective
- unfaulty adjective
Etymology
Origin of faulty
First recorded in 1300–50, faulty is from the Middle English word fauty. See fault, -y 1
Explanation
Something that's faulty is full of mistakes — it's wrong. Faulty logic often leads people to make terrible decisions, since they're based on an incorrect way of thinking. A faulty explanation is based on errors, and a faulty machine doesn't work the way it's supposed to. If your chocolate chip cookies keep coming out burned, your stove may be faulty — or you may be baking them too long. If your car's brakes are faulty, it won't stop as quickly as it should, and if your furnace is faulty, it will be a long, cold winter. Faulty and fail share a common Latin root word.
Vocabulary lists containing faulty
Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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Drama
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Way Off: Synonyms for "Wrong"
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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.
One person died in an apartment fire ignited by a faulty e-bike battery in San José last week, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
If eligibility for schemes is based on faulty or outdated data, the number of beneficiaries can be misjudged, distorting delivery.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
It again ties back to this faulty idea that there isn’t much return on investment for AI compute.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
What will happen to faulty or degraded EV batteries?
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
I, an American writer, writing about America, was working from memory, and the memory is at best a faulty, warpy reservoir.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Definitions 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.
