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.
A bold idea, some flawed early studies, a fierce backlash – and then, years later, a quieter, more careful return to the question.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Fasulo says he frequently hears from followers who replaced the wrong parts on their cars after taking flawed advice from a chatbot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Though the data are incomplete and flawed, of 10,937 felony drug cases tracked by 29 courts that reported to the state, 1,305 defendants elected to receive treatment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Connecting the songs is the idea that everyone's flawed - but the mess and the friction make life more interesting.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
All of us—Bas, Elsbeth, Ollie, me—I would care that someone understood we were flawed and scarred and doing the best we could in this war.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
