Flawed
/flɔːd/
Definitions
2 meaningsContaining a fault, weakness, or imperfection; damaged or defective.
/flɔːd/
Having a defect or imperfection
The argument had a significant flaw in its reasoning.
💡 Simply: Imagine you bought a toy, but it's missing a wheel or the paint job is messy. That toy is 'flawed'! It's not quite right.
👶 For kids: If something is flawed, it means it has something wrong with it. Like if your drawing has a mistake, it's flawed.
More Examples
The artist's early work, though promising, was flawed by a lack of technical skill.
The system's security was revealed to be flawed after the data breach.
Her reasoning was flawed, leading her to a wrong conclusion.
How It's Used
"The building's design was flawed, leading to structural instability."
"The product was well-reviewed, but some customers noted it had a flawed design."
To impair, to make imperfect or damaged. Can be used to describe the act of causing something to have a flaw or defect.
/flɔːd/
To make imperfect or damaged
The intense scrutiny of the media might flaw the candidate's public image.
💡 Simply: To 'flaw' something is like when you accidentally bump into someone and ruin their perfect painting. You flawed it!
👶 For kids: When you flaw something, you make it not good anymore, like when you mess up your craft project.
More Examples
The experience flawed her ability to trust others.
Economic downturns can often flaw societal progress.
How It's Used
"The critics believed that the war flawed the protagonist's perspective."
From Middle English *flawed, past participle of flauen ‘to crack, split’ (related to Old Norse *flaga ‘slab, splinter’)
The word 'flawed' has been used for centuries to describe imperfections. It appeared in the 14th century and has consistently been used to describe physical and metaphorical imperfections.
Memory tip
Imagine a perfect diamond that has a visible crack. That crack, that imperfection, is a 'flaw'.
Word Origin
"slab, splinter"