foible

[foi-buhl]

noun

1. a minor weakness or failing of character; slight flaw or defect.

   an all-too-human foible.

   Synonyms: peculiarity, eccentricity, crotchet, quirk, frailty
   Antonyms: strength

2. the weaker part of a sword blade, between the middle and the point (forte ).

foible

/ ˈfɔɪbəl /

noun

1. a slight peculiarity or minor weakness; idiosyncrasy

2. the most vulnerable part of a sword's blade, from the middle to the tip Compare forte 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of foible¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French, obsolete form of faible feeble

Word History and Origins

Origin of foible¹

C17: from obsolete French, from obsolete adj: _feeble

Synonym Study

See fault.

Example Sentences

He seemed, in short—for all his personal eccentricities and foibles—normal.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He is an observational comedian, with an eye to the foibles of everyday life — long-term marriage, encounters at airports, the temptations of junk food — but he never pokes fun at anyone but himself.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He points at the foibles of others and refuses to hold himself to a higher standard.

Read more on Salon

Bears have also continued to draw social media attention for their food-lusting foibles.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He starts off as a real guy with neuroses and problems and foibles.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• eccentricity 
• failing 
• frailty 
• idiosyncrasy 
• infirmity 
• peculiarity 
• quirk 
• shortcoming 
• weakness