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as in responsibility
the state of being held as the cause of something that needs to be set right the investigator determined that the auto accident was entirely the other driver's fault

Synonyms & Similar Words

fault

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun fault differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of fault are failing, foible, frailty, and vice. While all these words mean "an imperfection or weakness of character," fault implies a failure, not necessarily culpable, to reach some standard of perfection in disposition, action, or habit.

a writer of many virtues and few faults

When could failing be used to replace fault?

The words failing and fault can be used in similar contexts, but failing suggests a minor shortcoming in character.

being late is a failing of mine

When might foible be a better fit than fault?

Although the words foible and fault have much in common, foible applies to a harmless or endearing weakness or idiosyncrasy.

an eccentric's charming foibles

In what contexts can frailty take the place of fault?

While the synonyms frailty and fault are close in meaning, frailty implies a general or chronic proneness to yield to temptation.

human frailties

When is it sensible to use vice instead of fault?

The synonyms vice and fault are sometimes interchangeable, but vice can be a general term for any imperfection or weakness, but it often suggests violation of a moral code or the giving of offense to the moral sensibilities of others.

compulsive gambling was his vice

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fault
Noun
That has left Liverpool alone at the top, coasting to victory without much of a challenge, which is not their fault. Michael Cox, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025 All of this was just a reflection of how all of society is at fault, including myself. Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
The mayor faulted the accelerated consideration of the anti-fluoridation legislation, which did not go through the commission’s routine committee process. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025 Casper said that Ozturk could not be faulted for filing her petition in the Massachusetts court, since her lawyers didn't know her whereabouts. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fault
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fault
Noun
  • During periods of economic weakness when lending activity slows, consumers with high credit scores sometimes can take advantage of attractive offers.
    Russ Wiles, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • This move addresses one ongoing weakness with Bluesky: knowing who is real.
    Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • There have been expensive product mistakes and lots of trial and error with brushes, clips, hair dryers….
    Liz Krieger, Allure, 15 Apr. 2025
  • Such mistakes have been made by many administrations over decades.
    Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Nearly half is devoted to shifting all blame for October 7 to Bar, absolving himself.
    Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Although Joe never met him, Clyde’s not shy about casting blame in his direction.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Doctors later discovered that Figari’s stroke was caused by a previously undetected congenital heart defect called a patent foramen ovale (PFO), in which a hole between the left and right chambers of the heart is left open as opposed to closing after birth, according to Penn Medicine.
    Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • With the help of this technology, defects were significantly reduced.
    Michael Amori, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • When freed from this responsibility, women can pursue education that increases their earning potential by as much as twenty-five percent for each additional year in school.
    Megan Bruneau, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
  • But adulthood can also come with come with a mountain of responsibility, from paying your own bills to deciding where to live, which can can be overwhelming to navigate all at once.
    Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The end of the parole program is part of Trump’s crackdown on legal immigration paths that allow people to temporarily come to the U.S. Republicans also criticized the parole program as an overreach and abuse of executive presidential power.
    Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
  • However, the commission's case, which was first filed in 2020, criticized Zuckerberg's media company of accumulating rivals as a way of preventing any competition in the social media industry.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Organizations must stop treating burnout as a personal failing or an unavoidable reality of today’s workplace, and start recognizing it as a systemic issue.
    William Arruda, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • One major failing has been a slow response to an obvious need for more water storage — either in reservoirs or underground aquifers — to capture winter rains and spring snowmelts as a buffer for dry years.
    Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Graham Pauley singled and advanced to third when a fielder’s choice turned into a throwing error on Bohm.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Story’s two homers made up for two errors the normally sure-handed shortstop made in the field, one throwing and one fielding.
    Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fault.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fault. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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