🔍 牛津詞典
🔍 朗文詞典
🔍 劍橋詞典
🔍 柯林斯詞典
🔍 麥美倫詞典
🔍 韋氏詞典 🎯

檢索以下詞典：
(Mr. Ng 不推薦使用 Google 翻譯！)
最近搜尋：
BNC: 21137 COCA: 20420

foible

1 ENTRIES FOUND:
foible /ˈfoɪbəl/ noun
plural foibles
foible
/ˈfoɪbəl/
noun
plural foibles
Learner's definition of FOIBLE
[count]
: a minor fault in someone's character or behavior（性格或行为上的）小缺点，怪癖 — usually plural通常用复数
BNC: 21137 COCA: 20420

foible

noun

foi·​ble ˈfȯi-bəl How to pronounce foible (audio)
1
: the part of a sword or foil blade between the middle and point
2
: a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior : weakness
admired their teacher despite his foibles
… talent is always balanced by foible. Janna Malamud Smith

Did you know?

In the 1600s, English speakers borrowed the French word foible to refer to the weakest part of the sword or foil, that part being the portion between the middle and the pointed tip. Despite the superficial resemblance, foible does not come from foil. The French foible was an adjective meaning "weak." (That French word, which is now obsolete, is derived from the same Old French term, feble, which gave us feeble.) The English foible soon came to be applied not only to weaknesses in blades but also to minor failings in character. It appeared in print with that use in the 17th century, and now the "character flaw" sense is considerably more popular than the original sword application.

Synonyms

Choose the Right Synonym for foible

fault, failing, frailty, foible, vice mean an imperfection or weakness of character.

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

failing suggests a minor shortcoming in character.

being late is a failing of mine

frailty implies a general or chronic proneness to yield to temptation.

human frailties

foible applies to a harmless or endearing weakness or idiosyncrasy.

an eccentric's charming foibles

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

could tolerate my uncle's foibles because we loved him dearly
Recent Examples on the Web Shamans, not necessarily knowingly, hack this cognitive foible to convince people of their extraordinary abilities. Manvir Singh, Wired, 14 July 2022 With every Michigan foible, Georgia’s offense grew bolder and more explosive. Laine Higgins, WSJ, 1 Jan. 2022 Jones happily recites the joke using the other word, and the two men laugh, having been caught in a foible of their profession. Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021 At a time when any foible can now be airbrushed, edited, filtered or just plain omitted at will, the idea of imperfection as asset is a refreshing one. Courtney Lichterman, Robb Report, 27 May 2021 This is how a technological wonder like the USS Ford gets converted from an alliance-boosting example of American technological prowess at sea to an embarrassing, over-budget disaster—a geopolitical foible that only benefits American rivals. Craig Hooper, Forbes, 13 May 2021 No filmmaker has a better handle on the ridiculous foibles of the English upper-middle class. David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2020 In a world obsessed with human foibles (and books about them), why wouldn’t politicians believe that the public—cue Jack Nicholson—can’t handle the truth? David Wolman, Wired, 27 Mar. 2020 Yet, while Howard trafficked in the foibles and misdeeds of marquee names, questions about his own conduct faced internal scrutiny in 2012. Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2020 See More

Word History

Etymology

obsolete French (now faible), from obsolete foible weak, from Old French feble feeble

First Known Use

circa 1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foible was circa 1648
BNC: 21137 COCA: 20420

👨🏻‍🏫 Mr. Ng 韋氏詞典 📚 – mw.mister5️⃣.net
切換為繁體中文
Site Uptime