1
as in weakness
a defect in character
the common fault of being quick to judge others
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
there's a fault somewhere in the program
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in blame
responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
getting the time of the performance wrong was entirely my fault
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in defect
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
the minor faults in the leather are entirely natural and are what gives it a look different from vinyl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in responsibility
the state of being held as the cause of something that needs to be set right
the investigator determined that the auto accident was entirely the other driver's fault
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to blame
to express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of
you should look at your own work before faulting what others have done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fault
Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
During the weekend there was an incident which wasn’t really anyone’s fault that resulted in some minor property damage.
—R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 21 Dec. 2025
State auditors have faulted the Minnesota Department of Education for its handling of the situation, too.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fault
Noun
While Davis was known as being a perfectionist to a fault, which sometimes led to clashes with cohorts on her many movie sets, this wasn't the case between the two actresses while filming 1961's Pocketful of Miracles.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
During the weekend there was an incident which wasn’t really anyone’s fault that resulted in some minor property damage.
—R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
In a subsequent report on the incident, the NTSB faulted PG&E for failing to quickly locate the valves needed to shut off the gas release.
—Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 21 Dec. 2025
State auditors have faulted the Minnesota Department of Education for its handling of the situation, too.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fault
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fault
Noun
-
The strengths and weaknesses are always shown in a game like this.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
-
According to the Mayo Clinic, CMS is caused by a gene change that results in muscle weakness, which worsens with physical activity.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While rebounding kept the Horned Frogs in the game early, the offense finally picked up until the mistakes piled up down the stretch.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Let’s look back on 2025 fantasy misses to look forward and avoid making the signature mistake of each whiff come the 2026 draft season.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Israel and Hamas have traded blame over the violations of the deal.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
-
On the five-year anniversary this week, the White House launched a web page casting blame on Democrats, then-Vice President Mike Pence, and Capitol Police for the violence that transpired that day.—
Justin Papp,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Intel said this allows advanced workloads such as real-time defect inspection, predictive maintenance, and intelligent monitoring to run directly at the edge, cutting reliance on the cloud.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Rubella, also called German measles, is mild in children but devastating to fetuses, causing deafness, heart defects and intellectual disabilities when pregnant women are infected.—
Jake Scott,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Bison have carried their stories, teachings, and responsibilities for centuries.—
Marissa Perlman,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
By 2030, the company expects Atlas to take on more complex responsibilities, including repetitive and heavy-load assembly work.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
House Democrats swiftly criticized the Senate.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Bibelheimer also had good reason to criticize the film, as Ferrell’s portrayal of her was wildly at odds with the truth.—
Sarah Weinman,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins’ majority owner since 2009, is now looking for his eighth different head coach in a parade of floundering, flailing and failing.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Robotics startups typically prefer to show off their research prototypes in videos on social media, offering them the opportunity to show the machines at their best and edit out their failings.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The federal government primarily finances supplemental food benefits, but the state’s share is determined, in part, by its management, as indicated by its rate of error when determining people’s eligibility.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The research depended on computer simulations, which meant that tiny adjustments to the initial state of the digital fluid (or any digital rounding errors) wouldn’t affect the fluid’s fate.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fault.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fault. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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