Synonym Chooser

How does the noun foible differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of foible are failing, fault, frailty, and vice. While all these words mean "an imperfection or weakness of character," foible applies to a harmless or endearing weakness or idiosyncrasy.

an eccentric's charming foibles

When could failing be used to replace foible?

While in some cases nearly identical to foible, failing suggests a minor shortcoming in character.

being late is a failing of mine

When can fault be used instead of foible?

The words fault and foible can be used in similar contexts, but 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

Where would frailty be a reasonable alternative to foible?

The words frailty and foible are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, frailty implies a general or chronic proneness to yield to temptation.

human frailties

In what contexts can vice take the place of foible?

Although the words vice and foible have much in common, 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.

compulsive gambling was his vice

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of foible The all-star cast mostly plays Wicks’ parishioners, each with their own little set of personal foibles that at any moment could become a motive to kill. Joe Reid, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2025 My favorite is Phil, the dad, but the entire family is memorable, primarily due to their foibles. The Know, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025 Blanc is trying to put together a puzzle, but most of its pieces are rooted in the human foibles that drive people to do dastardly things. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025 Asimov's original idea was to conceive a sound system by which humanity's foibles and follies could be traced and tracked over centuries. Jeff Spry, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foible
Noun
  • Los Angeles' bullpen is the team's biggest weakness, and Snell is helping to cover it up by giving the Dodgers longer starts.
    Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
  • According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, CMT causes a range of sensory and motor symptoms, including numbness, tingling, pain, muscle weakness and atrophy — deterioration in cells, tissues, and organs.
    Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Her trauma is not your fault or responsibility.
    Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
  • These are real kids, caught in difficult circumstances and are in the foster care system through no fault of their own.
    Laura Rivera, Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Various studies have proved that popular commercial VPNs have alarming shortcomings.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The state of play in restaurant stocks, in particular, exemplifies the shortcomings of a purely top-down view.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Taken together, these triumphal and tragic elements constitute the ingredients for an epic historical narrative that defies all moralistic categories, a story rooted in the coexistence of grandeur and failure, brilliance and blindness, grace and sin.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • In an era of 51st-state tensions, there’s something psychically fitting about Canada, America’s top hat, being used to reenact so many of America’s sins.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Foible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foible. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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