Standard Lemma guide

fallible

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈfal.ɪ.bəl/
  • UK: [ˈfal.ɪ.bl̩]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, Canada, US: /ˈfæl.ə.bəl/
  • Australian, Canada, US: [ˈfæl.ə.bl̩]
  • CMU ARPABET: F AE1 L AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Capable of making mistakes or being wrong.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • prove fallible
  • recognize as fallible
  • Even the best doctors are fallible.
  • He admitted he was fallible like anyone else.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Capable of failure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

likely to fail or make errors

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • everyone is fallible to some degree

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: infallible

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

wanting in moral strength, courage, or will; having the attributes of man as opposed to e.g. divine beings

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I'm only a fallible human
  • frail humanity

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: frail, imperfect, weak

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English fallible, from Medieval Latin fallibilis (“liable to err, also deceitful”), from Latin fallere (“to deceive”).

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: склонен да греши (sklonen da greši) — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Catalan: fal·lible — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Chinese Mandarin: 殘缺的 /残缺的 (cánquē de) — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Czech: omylný — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Finnish: erehtyväinen — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • French: faillible — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Galician: falible — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Galician: falíbel — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • German: fehlbar — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Italian: fallibile — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Kyrgyz: жаңылышкан (jaŋılışkan) — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Plautdietsch: fälboa — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Polish: omylny — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Portuguese: falível — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Russian: подверженный ошибкам (podveržennyj ošibkam) — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Russian: ненадёжный (nenadjóžnyj) — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Russian: подверженный отказам (podveržennyj otkazam) — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Russian: оши́бочный (ošíbočnyj) — capable of making mistakes or being wrong
  • Spanish: falible — capable of making mistakes or being wrong