peccadillo
Americannoun
-
peccadilloes,
plural
-
peccadillos
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of peccadillo
1585–95; < Spanish pecadillo, diminutive of pecado sin < Latin peccātum transgression, noun use of neuter of past participle of peccāre to err, offend
Explanation
A peccadillo is a minor offense or sin. Parents recognize that their kids have a few peccadilloes: they don't always remember to say please and thank you, don't put their dirty clothes in the hamper, and worst of all, they keep finding the chocolate stash! Peccadillo is based on the Spanish word peccado, meaning "sin," with a diminutive added, making peccadillo a small sin. How big a sin is a peccadillo? Well, that depends on whom you ask. The person committing the offense is likely to try to pass off any number of transgressions and mistakes as peccadilloes. If you apologize and are forgiven, it's probably a peccadillo. If your transgression could get you fired, it's probably not!
Vocabulary lists containing peccadillo
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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.
See Examples For:
"Scotland has one peccadillo and that is Cardinal O'Brien," he says.
From BBC ● May 7, 2025
A love of disinformation is the peccadillo that springs from bigotry, not the other way around.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2022
But at L.S.U., about the only unpardonable peccadillo is failing to win.
From New York Times ● Oct. 18, 2021
The armadillo is found in Washington, D.C., only at the zoo, while the peccadillo is constantly being discovered.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 16, 2018
And that good seamen are deterred from entering the Royal Navy, knowing that the commission of a peccadillo or two may bring down the cat on their unlucky shoulders, is a matter of fact.
From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 1 by Frederick Whymper
More broadly the play is a tart vivisection of human pettiness and venality, as one by one the characters’ prejudices, peccadilloes and blinkered views are exposed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
He obviously wants the world to remember and think of him as strong and resolute, and basically a good guy despite his personal peccadilloes.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2024
“Those are personal peccadilloes that you may have,” Scorsese incorrectly guesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
Whatever his peccadilloes, Mr. Anderson was a planning visionary.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 14, 2022
So when he appraised Sister Loretta Marie it was with eyes that had spent a lifetime studying the habits and peccadilloes of nuns.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Others at Mr. Julian’s table gave similarly tolerant responses to my question about Mr. Paxton’s peccadillos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
He said he took particular issue with the use of the word "peccadillos".
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2022
But in hindsight, his personal failings and peccadillos pale in comparison with the tectonic impact he has had on American society.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 2, 2021
The great benefit and joy of at last living in one’s own apartment is having a sanctuary all your own—free from concern for roommates, their peccadillos, and whose turn it is to wash the dishes.
From Slate ● Mar. 11, 2021
As a matter of fact, I have dealt far too leniently with the peccadillos of the ornithological systematist.
From Birds of the Indian Hills by Douglas Dewar
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.
