What does "flaw" mean?
A flake, fragment, or shiver.
Flaw
/flɔ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A flake, fragment, or shiver.
- Grammar: flaw is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: defect, fault, aberrancy, aberration.
- Useful contrasts: dutch attribuut, important personal trait, portuguese qualidade.
- Usage evidence: I can't find a single flaw in her theory.
How to use "flaw"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flaw" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "flaw" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "flaw" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flaw" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "flaw" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "defect" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "flaw", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A flake, fragment, or shiver. obsolete
- 2 A sudden burst or gust of wind of short duration; windflaw.
"And snow and haile and stormie gust and flaw"
- 3 an imperfection in a plan or theory or legal document that causes it to fail or that reduces its effectiveness wordnet
- 4 A thin cake, as of ice. obsolete
- 5 A storm of short duration.
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 defect or weakness in a person's character wordnet
- 7 A crack or breach, a gap or fissure; a defect of continuity or cohesion.
"There is a flaw in that knife."
- 8 A sudden burst of noise and disorder
"And deluges of armies from the town / Come pouring in; I heard the mighty flaw."
- 9 an imperfection in an object or machine wordnet
- 10 A defect, fault, or imperfection, especially one that is hidden.
"Has not this also its flaws and its dark side?"
- 11 A defect, fault, or imperfection, especially one that is hidden.; An inclusion, stain, or other defect of a diamond or other gemstone.
- 12 A defect, fault, or imperfection, especially one that is hidden.; A defect or error in a contract or other document which may make the document invalid or ineffective.
"a flaw in a will, in a deed, or in a statute"
Verb
- 1 To add a flaw to, to make imperfect or defective. transitive
- 2 add a flaw or blemish to; make imperfect or defective wordnet
- 3 To become imperfect or defective; to crack or break. intransitive
Antonyms
dutch attribuutimportant personal traitportuguese qualidadepositive attribute
Example
"I can't find a single flaw in her theory."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flaw"?
Common synonyms include: defect, fault, aberrancy, aberration, aberrations, abysm.
How do you use "flaw" in a sentence?
I can't find a single flaw in her theory.
How do you pronounce "flaw"?
Pronounced /flɔ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English flawe, flay (“a flake of fire or snow, spark, splinter”), probably from Old Norse flaga (“a flag or slab of stone, flake”), from Proto-Germanic *flagō (“a layer of soil”), from Proto-Indo-European *plok- (“broad, flat”). Cognate with Icelandic flaga (“flake”), Swedish flaga (“flake, scale”), Danish flage (“flake”), Middle Low German vlage (“a layer of soil”), Old English flōh (“a fragment, piece”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English *flaugh, from Middle Dutch vlāghe or Middle Low German vlāge, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *flagā. Or, possibly of North Germanic origin, from Swedish flaga (“gust of wind”), from Old Norse flaga; all from Proto-Germanic *flagǭ (“blow, strike”). See modern Dutch vlaag (“gust of wind”).