fallibility

noun

fal·​li·​bil·​i·​ty ˌfa-lə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

: liability to err

Did you know?

You'll find this word showing up in discussions of eyewitness testimony at crime scenes, of lie detectors, and of critical airplane parts. Some of us are most familiar with the fallibility of memory, especially when we remember something clearly that turns out never to have happened. Being fallible is part of being human, and sometimes the biggest errors are made by those who are thought of as the most brilliant of all.

Examples of fallibility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Throughout Homer’s tale, Odysseus is repeatedly thwarted by divine wrath, nature and human fallibility. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 23 July 2026

As Neptune goes retrograde, anxiety creeps in at the realization of your fallibility. — Usa Today, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Wins against Haiti and Scotland settled the nerves, but those same fallibilities were on show in the last-32 tie with Japan before Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli’s goals turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win. — Chris Evans, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

LaBarge’s narrative contradicts itself with great frequency and intentionality, calling attention to the fallibility of memory in the face of trauma. — Literary Hub, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fallibility

• affability
• audibility
• bistability
• capability
• changeability
• contractility
• credibility
• culpability
• disability
• disutility
• durability
• feasibility