foible

American  

[foi-buhl] / ˈfɔɪ bəl /

noun

• foibles
  plural

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 (opposed to forte).

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foible British  

/ 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

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Synonym Usage

See fault.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• foibles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of foible

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

Explanation

If you repeat foible out loud enough times, it sounds so funny that you can laugh at it and maybe remember to laugh at the odd and distinctive weaknesses of others — the foible or two or a hundred that we all have. Sometimes a foible helps make a person who they are, even if the foible, or weakness ("feeble" is a close relative), is a little odd. Synonyms for foible in a negative sense are "failing," "shortcoming," and in a more positive sense "quirk," "eccentricity." It can likewise be annoying or endearing. Most people have a foible, or idiosyncrasy, that stands out to others, but interestingly, a person rarely sees his or her own characteristic foible.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foible foibles

It helps fund managers justify their salaries and makes ordinary people feel better because of a foible known as the illusion of control.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026

"Never For Ever" ultimately produced three Top 20 singles, including the indelible foible "Babooshka."

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2022

“Nathan for You” was zippy, and loath to waste a minute, especially when it could reveal a charming or dumbfounding human foible.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 15, 2022

Jones happily recites the joke using the other word, and the two men laugh, having been caught in a foible of their profession.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2021

Old Derryclare, whose foible it was to believe that he never had any luncheon, was standing at the sideboard, devouring informally a slice of bread and honey.

From In Mr. Knox's Country by Martin Ross

“She certainly writes about people’s limitations and foibles, but always with this generosity and this empathy.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

“It is infectious to play a character who sees the best in people and isn’t mad at the world for all its foibles and bullies and shadows,” Sudeikis recently told the Hollywood Reporter.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

The river itself becomes a kind of character, silently and impartially overseeing the foibles of humanity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

This image, of a young woman with dreams, goals and a few foibles, is what historian William J. Mann sketches in his sensitive new book, “Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026

“Chirren got all kinda foibles nowadays. Running around wild, doing all they wanna do.”

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Related Words

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