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.
There are two major shortcomings that keep it from carrying much more weight than a flawed first draft by a junior fellow at a minor think tank would.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
She said new documents indicate that damage to the landmark was "the result of flawed installation by the contractor... and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration."
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
None questioned whether their discipline philosophy is flawed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
When he resigned from his position in 2025, Drapatyi listed issues he had tackled in the Ground Forces - ranging from combat training reform to unfair mobilisation, corruption and flawed procurement systems.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But my mother would tell me that people are flawed and I should be lenient with them.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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.
