fallible
adjective
Did you know?
“Humanum est errare” is a Latin expression that translates as “To err is human.” Of course, cynics might say that it is also human to deceive. The history of the word fallible simultaneously recognizes both of these character flaws. In modern usage, fallible refers to one’s ability to make mistakes, but it descends from the Latin verb fallere, which means “to deceive.” Fallible has been used to describe the potential for error since at least the 15th century. Other descendants of fallere in English, all of which actually predate fallible, include fallacy (the earliest, now obsolete, meaning was “guile, trickery”), fault, false, and even fjail. Whoops, we mean fail.
Examples of fallible in a Sentence
Jason Lyall, Foreign Affairs, 22 July 2022
Tracking, after all, is a methodology reliant upon human interpretation—and humans are fallible.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
Memory is surprisingly fallible, particularly for the recurring, commonplace behaviors that consumer goods companies care about, like washing the dishes or pouring a drink.
—Nihal Advani, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
Go deeper: Health systems are also also facing aging and fallible public infrastructure, which can complicate emergency responses.
—Tina Reed, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fallible 
Dictionary Entries Near fallible
Cite this Entry
“Fallible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallible. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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fallible
adjective
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