infallible
adjective
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Watch out when you hear about infallible predictions, an infallible plan, an infallible cure, or even infallible lip gloss. Infallible isn't a claim that scientists, engineers, and doctors like to make, so you're probably getting better information when the word not comes first. You may have heard the phrase "papal infallibility", which refers to the official position of the Roman Catholic church, adopted in the 19th century, that certain solemn statements made by a Pope about faith or morals were not to be questioned. Popes since then have been careful not to make many of these statements.
Examples of infallible in a Sentence
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Throughout our tests, this suitcase proved tough but not infallible.
—Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
So why does a segment of the audience seem to want these legacy characters to be infallible?
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 July 2023
He’s got this underlying structure that is infallible, from his point of view.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 10 June 2023
And the play’s infallible final gesture, here involving rude Scrabble instead of bingo, once again doesn’t fail.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2023
The series follows the adventures of Diabolik, an infallible, ruthless master thief.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2023
Against that backdrop, deep U.S.-China economic ties are hardly an infallible safeguard against conflict.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 30 May 2023
Owning a suede jacket is almost a rite of passage for Hollywood A-listers, and this bomber-style option has an infallible design that'll make even the most average joe of us into a leading man of our own story.
—Maverick Li, Men's Health, 18 Jan. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infallible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English, from Medieval Latin infallibilis, from Latin in- + Late Latin fallibilis fallible
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near infallible
Cite this Entry
“Infallible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infallible. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
infallible
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on infallible
Nglish: Translation of infallible for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of infallible for Arabic Speakers
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