fallible
FAL-uh-buhl
/ˈfælɪbəl/
Capable of making mistakes, being wrong, or being erroneous in judgment.
Highlights human limitation and the inherent risk of error in systems, memories, or observations.
The story behind the word. Latin 'fallere' meant to trick, deceive, or lead astray. From it we also get 'false', 'fault', and 'fallacy'. To recognize that human minds are fallible is to acknowledge that our perceptions can trip us up when we try to grasp truth.
Word relationships
- imperfect: Broader term meaning flawed in any way, whereas fallible specifically means prone to error.
- unreliable: Suggests something cannot be trusted to perform, while fallible emphasizes potential for error.
- infallible: Incapable of making errors or being wrong.
- unerring: Consistently accurate and free from error.
Commonly confused with
- faulty: Faulty describes something that currently has a defect; fallible describes something capable of making an error.
Word family
- fallibility (noun): The tendency to make mistakes or be wrong.
- fallibly (adverb): In a fallible manner.
Collocations
- fallible human memory
- fallible nature
- highly fallible
- fallible reasoning
Example sentences
- "Eyewitness testimony is notoriously fallible, often influenced by stress, passage of time, and suggestion." Legal System
- "Karl Popper emphasized that scientific theories are inherently fallible and must always remain open to falsification." Philosophy of Science
Memory hook
FALLible means you are prone to FALL into mistakes. Capable of falling into error.
When not to use
Do not use to describe intentional malice or corruption; it strictly means subject to error.
Fun facts
- The phrase 'To err is human' directly captures the concept of human fallibility.
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