faulty

1 of 2

adjective

ˈfȯl-tē 

faultier; faultiest

: marked by fault or defect : imperfect

faultily

ˈfȯl-tə-lē 

adverb

faultiness

ˈfȯl-tē-nəs 

noun

faultiness

2 of 2

noun

fault·​i·​ness -tēnə̇s 

-tin-

plural -es

: the quality or state of being faulty

the notable faultiness of a man's reasoning

Synonyms of faulty

Adjective

• defective

Examples of faulty in a Sentence

Adjective

the cause of the plane crash was traced to faulty wiring

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Some gene therapies can correct or replace faulty genetic instructions, while others, such as CAR T cell therapy, reprogram a patient’s own cells to find and eliminate the disease. — Jigar Thakkar, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Like all of hip-hop’s early heroes, Flash is fixated on the genre’s history—righting its wrongs, fighting a headwind of faulty tellings over the years. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Cardiac arrhythmia ablation, according to the British Heart Foundation, is when heat or cold energy is used to create tiny scars in the heart to block faulty signals and restore a typical heartbeat. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Officials said the device failed to explode because of a faulty detonator. — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for faulty

• salty

Kids Definition

faulty

adjective

ˈfȯl-tē 

faultier; faultiest

: having a fault or weakness : imperfect

faultily

-tə-lē 

adverb

faultiness

-tē-nəs 

noun