World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesFatal flaw
/ˈfeɪ.təl flɔː/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
A critical weakness or shortcoming in a person's character that leads to their downfall.
"His overwhelming pride proved to be his fatal flaw, ultimately costing him his career and reputation." - 2
A fundamental defect in a system, plan, or design that inevitably causes it to fail.
"Engineers discovered a fatal flaw in the bridge's suspension design during stress testing."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
The term combines 'fatal', originating from the Latin 'fatalis' (destined, ordained by fate, or causing death/destruction), with 'flaw', derived from Old Norse 'flaga' (slab, flake) or Middle English roots meaning a crack or breach. Historically rooted in literary criticism (such as the concept of the tragic flaw or 'hamartia'), it has evolved into common usage to describe any crucial weakness that causes a plan, system, or character to fail.
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10 Global Lexicons: How "Fatal flaw" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
fausse note
Transliteration: fos not
Script: faute fatale
"Son orgueil était son principal défaut fatal."
tödlicher Fehler
Transliteration: toedlicher Fehler
"Dieser Konstruktionsfehler erwies sich als der tödliche Fehler des Projekts."
difetto fatale
Transliteration: difetto fatale
"La presunzione fu il suo difetto fatale."
defecto fatal
Transliteration: defecto fatal
"El plan original tenía un defecto fatal que causó su fracaso."
falha fatal
Transliteration: falha fatal
"A arrogância dele era uma falha fatal."
घातक कमी
Transliteration: ghatak kami
"उसकी अत्यधिक महत्वाकांक्षा ही उसकी घातक कमी साबित हुई।"
致命缺陷
Transliteration: zhì mìng quē xiàn
"这个软件的设计存在一个致命缺陷。"
치명적 결함
Transliteration: chimyeongjeok gyeolham
"그 계획에는 프로젝트를 망칠 치명적 결함이 있었다."
致命的な欠陥
Transliteration: chimeiteki na kekkan
"そのシステムには無視できない致命的な欠陥があった。"
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