fallible
adjective
Did you know?
“Humanum est errare” is a Latin expression that translates as “To err is human.” Of course, cynics might say that it is also human to deceive. The history of the word fallible simultaneously recognizes both of these character flaws. In modern usage, fallible refers to one’s ability to make mistakes, but it descends from the Latin verb fallere, which means “to deceive.” Fallible has been used to describe the potential for error since at least the 15th century. Other descendants of fallere in English, all of which actually predate fallible, include fallacy (the earliest, now obsolete, meaning was “guile, trickery”), fault, false, and even fjail. Whoops, we mean fail.
Examples of fallible in a Sentence
Stephen L. Carter, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
Los Angeles ultimately regrouped in plenty of time to win its second straight World Series, but the Dodgers are again proving fallible at a time when the Padres are scuffling.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026
What’s important in any game, and more so in the playoffs, is not to give them an opportunity to be fallible.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Rather than operating on hearsay or memory, both of which are highly fallible, a flowchart outlines precisely what each section of a team is doing and allows everyone to work together in greater synchrony.
—William Jones, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fallible
Cite this Entry
“Fallible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallible. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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fallible
adjective
