What does fallible mean?
"Fallible" describes the capacity to make mistakes or be wrong, whether through flawed judgment, imperfect knowledge, or simple human limits. A fallible person can err despite good intentions; a fallible system — a court, a computer program, a memory — can produce incorrect results. The word carries a connotation of humility rather than harsh criticism: to call someone fallible is usually to acknowledge a universal human condition rather than to accuse them of failure. It appears frequently in philosophy, theology, law, and science, where questions of reliability and error matter most, and it is often set against its opposite, "infallible." Derived from the Latin verb fallere, meaning "to deceive," the term entered English in the early seventeenth century. Its noun form, "fallibility," names the quality itself, and related words such as "fallacy" and "fallacious" trace back to the same root. Recognizing that our sources, instruments, and leaders are fallible is a cornerstone of critical thinking.
adjectiveCapable of making mistakes or being wrong; imperfect in judgment, performance, or reliability.
- Capable of making mistakes or being wrong; liable to err.
- (Of systems, institutions, or memory) unreliable or imperfect in operation.
"Even the most experienced surgeons are fallible."
"The report acknowledged that eyewitness testimony is inherently fallible."
"She accepted the verdict with grace, knowing the judges were only fallible human beings."
Every scientific fact you trust was established by fallible minds checking other fallible minds — and that's exactly why it works.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fallible
"Fallible" derives from the Medieval Latin fallibilis, from falli, the passive of the Latin verb fallere, meaning "to deceive" or "to disappoint." The underlying sense is thus "able to be deceived" or "liable to err," which shifted into the modern sense of being capable of error. It entered English in the early seventeenth century. The same Latin root gives English "fallacy," "fallacious," "infallible," and "default."
Related word forms
How fallible is actually used
Register is neutral to slightly formal; common in academic, philosophical, and theological writing. Often used in the phrase "we're all fallible" or contrasted explicitly with "infallible," especially in discussions of authority, science, and memory.
Easily confused with fallible
"Fallible" describes someone or something capable of error, while "fallacious" describes an argument or belief that contains a specific error or flaw in reasoning.