Meaning & use
fatal flaw
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Meanings
nouncountable
A serious weakness or mistake that leads to failure or disaster.
Grammar: Countable: 'a fatal flaw', 'the fatal flaw in the plan'.
Patterns
- a fatal flaw in something
- have a fatal flaw
- prove to be a fatal flaw
The engineer discovered a fatal flaw in the bridge's design.
His inability to trust anyone was a fatal flaw in his leadership.
The argument had a fatal flaw that the opponent quickly exposed.
nouncountableliterary
In literature, a character's tragic weakness that causes their downfall.
Grammar: Often used in discussions of tragedy: 'the hero's fatal flaw'.
Patterns
- someone's fatal flaw
- the fatal flaw of a character
In Macbeth, ambition is often seen as the fatal flaw.
The protagonist's fatal flaw was excessive pride.
Teachers often ask students to identify the fatal flaw in a tragic hero.
Word forms
| plural | fatal flaws |
|---|
Common combinations
- a fatal flaw in the plan
- There was a fatal flaw in the plan that no one noticed until too late.
- have a fatal flaw
- Every character in the novel seems to have a fatal flaw.
- expose a fatal flaw
- The review exposed a fatal flaw in the research methodology.
- the fatal flaw of the system
- The fatal flaw of the system was its reliance on a single server.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fatal defect
- More technical and often used for products or processes; 'fatal flaw' is broader and can apply to people or plans.
- Achilles heel
- A specific weakness that can lead to downfall, often used in a more figurative or personal sense; 'fatal flaw' is more direct and severe.
- downfall
- Refers to the actual ruin or failure, while 'fatal flaw' is the cause of that ruin.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fatal flaw or fatal error?
fatal flaw vs fatal error
A 'fatal error' is a mistake that causes a computer program or system to stop working, while 'fatal flaw' is a more general weakness leading to failure.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'fatal flaw' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Fatal flaw' refers to a serious weakness that causes failure, so 'lack of funding' fits. The other options use it incorrectly for positive or unrelated things.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fatal flaw”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.