peccadillo
Americannoun
plural
peccadilloes, peccadillosnoun
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
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.
"Scotland has one peccadillo and that is Cardinal O'Brien," he says.
From BBC • May 7, 2025
A minor peccadillo alongside the enormities rightly laid at the door of your man.
From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2022
A love of disinformation is the peccadillo that springs from bigotry, not the other way around.
From Salon • Jul. 13, 2022
This is not a whimsical peccadillo to be written off against the backdrop of an otherwise progressive outlook.
From Slate • Nov. 8, 2018
Captains," he retorted airily, "have at times deviated from the narrow path, so that a Major may well be forgiven a peccadillo.
From Miranda of the Balcony A Story by Mason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodle)
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.
