as in crime
a small mistake or fault that is not regarded as very bad or serious
His political career was marked by numerous peccadillos, but no huge scandals.
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Recent Examples of peccadillo
But as the capital merry-go-round spun its peccadilloes, scandals and ballyhooed promises, his jaunty baritone restored order with bipartisan japes and irreverent songs to deflate the preening ego and the Big Idea. Presidents from Eisenhower to Trump caught the flak.
—
Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
What if the new boss’ weird peccadilloes — Patoff abolishes work-from-home, abruptly fires a staffer whose smell displeases him and thinks nothing of making 3 a.m. phone calls and demands — escalate?
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2023
He’s simply been willing to overlook a peccadillo or two if the guy’s good enough.
—Dallas News, 20 Feb. 2023
Sadly, performance and build quality didn’t live up to the promise, and fewer than 9,000 units were made by the time the entire operation was shuttered following John DeLorean’s white-powder peccadillo.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 29 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for peccadillo
Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
What if the new boss’ weird peccadilloes — Patoff abolishes work-from-home, abruptly fires a staffer whose smell displeases him and thinks nothing of making 3 a.m. phone calls and demands — escalate?
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2023
He’s simply been willing to overlook a peccadillo or two if the guy’s good enough.
—Dallas News, 20 Feb. 2023
Sadly, performance and build quality didn’t live up to the promise, and fewer than 9,000 units were made by the time the entire operation was shuttered following John DeLorean’s white-powder peccadillo.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 29 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for peccadillo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peccadillo
Noun
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Police officials at a news conference said the officers had collected personal and private information unlawfully and distributed it to organized crime figures, in some cases for bribes, and that mobsters then carried out shootings and other violent crimes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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Last week, the topic took center stage again when Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, posted a video accusing Armenian crime groups of carrying out widespread hospice fraud in Los Angeles.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The lawyers had requested that the Justice Department website be temporarily shut down and that an independent monitor be appointed to ensure no further errors occurred.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
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This story has been updated with new information, to reframe parts of the story and to correct spelling errors.—
Steve Patterson,
Florida Times-Union,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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British police raided two properties linked to Mandelson on Friday as part of an investigation into misconduct in public office.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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The Proctor case could prove a test of Hochman’s commitment to prosecuting police misconduct cases.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Trump, former President Bill Clinton and others are mentioned in the files without credible accusations of wrongdoing.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
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The files referenced by Khanna and reviewed by CBS News — which have now been partially un-redacted to reveal the six names — do not appear to directly implicate the six men in any crimes, and Khanna did not allege any specific criminal wrongdoing.—
Jacob Rosen,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But does exchanging flirty messages with Ghislaine Maxwell while he was married three years before Jeffrey Epstein was first publicly accused of wrongdoing in 2006 really constitute a career-ending sin?—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus Christ's victory over sin and death through his resurrection.—
Chris Sims,
IndyStar,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Peccadillo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peccadillo. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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