Meaning & use

foible

noun·Advanced

A minor weakness, quirk, or peculiar habit in someone's character, usually seen as harmless or mildly amusing.

See it in a sentence

One of his foibles is refusing to eat food that different foods on his plate touch.

Everyone in the family tolerated grandmother's foibles, like insisting the clocks all run five minutes fast.

A note on using this word

Foible describes a small, forgivable trait, not a serious moral flaw; it usually appears in the plural, 'foibles.'

Words with a similar meaning

quirkpeccadillo

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “foible”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.