foible

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noun foi·ble \ ˈfȯi-bəl \

Definition of foible

1 :the part of a sword or foil blade between the middle and point

2 :a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior :weakness

admired their teacher despite his foibles

… talent is always balanced by foible.
—Janna Malamud Smith

See foible defined for English-language learners

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foible was our Word of the Day on 01/16/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of foible in a Sentence

could tolerate my uncle's foibles because we loved him dearly

Recent Examples of foible from the Web

Everybody knows everybody, and all these vices and foibles are given time to cultivate and grow.

— randy dotinga, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Magpie Murders' author Anthony Horowitz delivers remarkable twist on the classic whodunnit," 18 July 2017
Hearing her describe the foibles of the .001 percent is like watching The Rock effortlessly haul two refrigerators across a crowded beach—

— vanityfair.com, "Think the Ultra-Rich Are Ridiculous? Jill Kargman Promises You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet," 11 July 2017
Hearing her describe the foibles of the .001 percent is like watching The Rock effortlessly haul two refrigerators across a crowded beach—

— hillary busis, HWD, "Think the Ultra-Rich Are Ridiculous? Jill Kargman Promises You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet," 11 July 2017
Partisans always delight in the foibles of their opponents, but the Blue Team is doing it with all of the subtlety of the crowd at a wet t-shirt contest.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Dems still not ready to get serious," 6 July 2017
Brockmann writes about the frailties and foibles of families without passing judgment.

— jean marie brown, star-telegram.com, "‘Some Kind of Hero’ remains heroic to the end," 4 July 2017
One reason is our friends often are hesitant to divulge our foibles.

— atlanta life, ajc, "Let’s pray for the wisdom to recognize our blind spots," 30 June 2017
The soccer chat, from my foibles in the LXC coed rec league to our rooting interests, starts at 21:40.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "CardsHQ podcast: Talking recruiting and soccer with ESPN's Jeff Borzello," 28 June 2017
The offense’s inability to consistently test opposing goalies and the defense’s foibles in the clearing game are just two factors that contributed to the Seahawks’ dismal experience.

— edward lee, baltimoresun.com, "'Embarrassed' by 2017 results, St. Mary’s men’s lacrosse eager to make amends next spring," 14 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'foible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The weakest part of a sword blade is the portion between the middle and the pointed tip. Back in the mid-1600s, English speakers borrowed the French word foible to refer to that most easily broken part of the sword or foil. Despite the superficial resemblance, "foible" does not come from "foil." The French foible was an adjective meaning "weak." (That French word, which is now obsolete, is derived from the same Old French term, feble, that gives us "feeble.") The English "foible" soon came to be applied not only to weaknesses in blades, but also to minor failings in character. It appeared in print with that use in 1673, and now the "character flaw" sense is considerably more popular than the original sword application.

Origin and Etymology of foible

obsolete French (now faible), from obsolete foible weak, from Old French feble feeble

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1648

See Words from the same year

foible Synonyms

Synonyms

demerit, dereliction, failing, fault, frailty, shortcoming, sin, vice, want, weakness

Antonyms

merit, virtue

Related Words

blot, spot, stain; blemish, deficiency, flaw, imperfection, minus, nit; Achilles' heel, soft spot; corruption, depravity, evil, immorality, sinfulness, wickedness

Near Antonyms

excellence, perfection; goodness, integrity, morality, probity, rectitude, righteousness

Synonym Discussion of foible

fault, failing, frailty, foible, vice 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

failing suggests a minor shortcoming in character.

- being late is a failing of mine

frailty implies a general or chronic proneness to yield to temptation.

- human frailties

foible applies to a harmless or endearing weakness or idiosyncrasy.

- an eccentric's charming foibles

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.