faulty

F4A1U1L1T1Y4
UK/ˈfɒlti/UK/ˈfɔːlti/US/ˈfɔlti/cot caught merger/ˈfɑlti/

adjective

Having or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable.

“They replaced the faulty wiring and it has worked fine ever since.”

Similar
defectiveimperfectincorrectwronginaccurate
Opposite
faultless
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

adjectivefaulty (comparative faultier, superlative faultiest)

comparative faultier · superlative faultiest

  1. Having or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable.

    They replaced the faulty wiring and it has worked fine ever since.

    2 more examples

    I don't think you can infer that from the premise. It's a faulty argument.

    Sadly, the ever-eager Reverend Judith had not been able to conjure up many worshippers, even though it was Father’s Day. There was just one old dear sitting halfway back, her faulty hearing aid letting off a high-pitched whistle.

    2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN
  2. obsoleteAt fault, to blame; guilty.

    Her faultie Handmayd, which that bale did breede, / Confest, how Philemon her wrought to chaunge her weede.

    1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
faultless

adjectivehaving a defect

Similar
defectiveimperfect

adjectivecharacterized by errors; not agreeing with a model or not following established rules

Similar
incorrectwronginaccurate
Also see
badbrokendamageddefectivedog-earederroneousfallibleimperfectinaccurateincorrectkaputmessed upout-of-servicepasséroughshabbyshotstalestuffedtaintedtatteredtiredtore upwastedwell-wornworn-outworse for wearwrong

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From fault + -y.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian погрешен, неправилен
  • погрешен (pogrešen)having or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • неправилен (nepravilen)having or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Catalan defectuós
  • defectuóshaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Czech vadný
  • vadnýhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Dutch kapot, gebrekkig
  • kapothaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • gebrekkighaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Finnish viallinen, rikkinäinen
  • viallinenhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • rikkinäinenhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
French défectueux
  • défectueuxhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
German fehlerhaft, schadhaft
  • fehlerhafthaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • schadhafthaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Hungarian hibás
  • hibáshaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Irish fabhtach
  • fabhtachhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Italian difettoso, imperfetto
  • difettosohaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • imperfettohaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • scorrettohaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Latin mendōsus, vitīosus
  • mendōsushaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • vitīosushaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Māori muhu
  • muhuhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Russian неиспра́вный, ло́жный
  • неиспра́вный (neisprávnyj)having or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • ло́жный (lóžnyj)having or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Spanish fallido, fallado
  • fallidohaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • falladohaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Swedish defekt, felaktig
  • defekthaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • felaktighaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Turkish hatalı, kusurlu
  • hatalıhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • kusurluhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • eksikhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • çürükhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • özürlühaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • sakathaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Ukrainian несправний, помилковий
  • несправний (nespravnyj)having or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
  • помилковий (pomylkovyj)having or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable
Welsh diffygiol
  • diffygiolhaving or displaying faults; not perfect; not adequate or acceptable

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with faulty

saltybaltialtiejoltysaltie
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

faulty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/faulty

MLA

“faulty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/faulty. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “faulty,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/faulty.

Source: faulty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.