Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,884,847,553 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

flaw

   Also found in: Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
flaw 1  (flô)
n.
1. An imperfection, often concealed, that impairs soundness: a flaw in the crystal that caused it to shatter. See Synonyms at blemish.
2. A defect or shortcoming in something intangible: They share the character flaw of arrogance.
3. A defect in a legal document that can render it invalid.
tr. & intr.v. flawed, flaw·ing, flaws
To make or become defective.

[Middle English flaue, splinter, perhaps from Old Norse flaga, slab of stone; see plk-1 in Indo-European roots.]

flaw 2  (flô)
n.
1.
a. A brief gust or blast of wind.
b. A passing storm; a squall.
2. Obsolete A burst of passion.

[Probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish flaga, gust of wind.]

flawy adj.

flaw1
n
1. an imperfection, defect, or blemish
2. a crack, breach, or rift
3. (Law) Law an invalidating fault or defect in a document or proceeding
vb
to make or become blemished, defective, or imperfect
[probably from Old Norse flaga stone slab; related to Swedish flaga chip, flake, flaw]
flawless  adj
flawlessly  adv
flawlessness  n

flaw2
n
1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography)
a.  a sudden short gust of wind; squall
b.  a spell of bad, esp windy, weather
2. Obsolete an outburst of strong feeling
[of Scandinavian origin; related to Norwegian flaga squall, gust, Middle Dutch vlāghe]
flawy  adj

Flaw turfs collectively, 1811.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.flawflaw - an imperfection in an object or machine; "a flaw caused the crystal to shatter"; "if there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer"
imperfection, imperfectness - the state or an instance of being imperfect
blister - a flaw on a surface resulting when an applied substance does not adhere (as an air bubble in a coat of paint)
glitch, bug - a fault or defect in a computer program, system, or machine
hole - a fault; "he shot holes in my argument"
2.flaw - defect or weakness in a person's character; "he had his flaws, but he was great nonetheless"
failing, weakness - a flaw or weak point; "he was quick to point out his wife's failings"
hamartia, tragic flaw - the character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall
3.flaw - an imperfection in a plan or theory or legal document that causes it to fail or that reduces its effectiveness
imperfection, imperfectness - the state or an instance of being imperfect
Verb1.flaw - add a flaw or blemish to; make imperfect or defective
damage - inflict damage upon; "The snow damaged the roof"; "She damaged the car when she hit the tree"

flaw
noun
1. error, mistake, fault, blunder, inaccuracy, howler (informal), solecism Almost all these studies have serious flaws.
2. weakness, failing, defect, weak spot, spot, fault, scar, blemish, imperfection, speck, disfigurement, chink in your armour The only flaw in his character is a short temper.
3. crack, break, split, breach, tear, rent, fracture, rift, cleft, crevice, fissure, scission a flaw in the rock wide enough for a foot
Translations
flaw [flɔː] N (= defect) (in character, system) → defecto m, fallo m; (in material, beauty, diamond) → desperfecto m, tara f; (in reasoning) → error m, fallo m; (= crack) → grieta f

flaw [ˈflɔː] ndéfaut m

flaw
n (lit)Fehler m; (fig also)Mangel m; (in sb’s character also) → Mangel m, → Defekt m; (Jur, in contract etc) → (Form)fehler m
vt her argument was flawed by lack of evidenceihr Argument wurde durch Mangel an Beweisen entkräftet; her beauty was not flawed by the slightest imperfectionihre Schönheit wurde durch keinen Mangel getrübt

flaw [flɔː] n (gen) → difetto; (crack, in china) → incrinatura
flaw [flɔː] n (gen) → difetto; (crack, in china) → incrinatura

flaw
n flaw [floː]
a fault; something which makes something not perfect a flaw in the material. fout; defek نَقْص، خَلَل، عَيْب дефект vada fejl der Fehler ψεγάδι defecto viga نقص؛ ترک virhe défaut פְּגָם दोष, त्रुटि, कमजोरी mana, nedostatak hiba cacat galli difetto きず 결함 trūkumas, defektas, įlūžimas, plyšys trūkums; defekts; bojājums kecacatan defect skjønnhetsfeil, lyte, mangel skaza defeito defect дефект kaz napaka mana fel, brist, svag punkt ข้อบกพร่อง kusur, defo 瑕疵 дефект; вада نقص vết nhơ; thói xấu; chỗ hỏng
adj flawed
having a flaw This china is flawed. gebrekkig; defek فيه عَيْب أو خَلَل дефектен kazový, vadný fejlbehæftet fehlerhaft ελαττωματικός defectuoso defektiga ناقص؛ ترک دار virheellinen défectueux פָּגוּם दोषी होना oštećen, manjkav hibás bercacat gallaður difettoso きずのある 결함이 있는 su trūkumu, defektu bojāts; ar defektu cacat defect defekt, med feil wadliwy defeituoso cu un defect/defecte с дефектом kazový z napako koji ima manu sprucken, fördärvad ที่มีตำหนิ kusurlu, defolu 有瑕疵的 дефектний جس میں عیب ہو có vết rạn; có chỗ hỏng 疵的
adj flawless
perfect her flawless beauty. sonder gebrek; vlekkeloos لا عَيْبَ فيه безупречен bezvadný, dokonalý perfekt fehlerlos άψογος impecable veatu بی نقص virheetön impeccable מוּשלָם निर्दोष bez mane, besprijekoran hibátlan sempurna gallalaus perfetto 完全な 흠이 없는 nepriekaištingas, tobulas nevainojams sempurna gaaf feilfri, lytefri nieskazitelny perfeito impecabil безупречный dokonalý brezhiben besprekoran felfri, fläckfri, fulländad ไม่มีตำหนิ kusursuz, mükemmel 完美的 бездоганний بے عیب hoàn mỹ

flaw نقص chyba fejl Mangel ψεγάδι defecto vika faille nedostatak difetto きず 결점 gebrek lyte skaza falha изъян felaktighet ข้อบกพร่อง kusur khiếm khuyết 缺点


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The Witnesses proved, without error or flaw, That the sty was deserted when found: And the Judge kept explaining the state of the law In a soft under-current of sound.
By dint of an ingenious counsel, and a legal flaw, he escaped; but only to undergo a worse punishment; for, some years afterwards, his house was broken open in the night by robbers, tempted by the rumours of his great wealth, and he was found murdered in his bed.
If you do not now point out a flaw in my definition, you are disqualified later on from advancing metaphysical arguments.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2010 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.