faulty

/ˈfɔːlti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɔːlti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfȯl-tē/ (ame, mw)

faulty — adjective

  • faultypositive
  • faultiercomparative
  • faultiestsuperlative

1. Describes a machine, device, or product that has a flaw in how it was built and

1.形容詞B2
釋義

Describes a machine, device, or product that has a flaw in how it was built and therefore fails to work the way it should.

例句

Tyler returned the faulty kettle to the shop and asked for a refund.

attributive: faulty + concrete object

The garage said the brakes on Padma's old car were faulty and needed replacing.

predicative: be + faulty

同義詞
  • defective

    more formal; common in manufacturing and legal contexts

  • broken

    stronger — implies the item no longer works at all

  • malfunctioning

    technical; emphasises that the device is currently misbehaving

反義詞
  • working

    the everyday opposite — the device performs as expected

  • functional

    slightly more formal alternative to 'working'

文法句型

faulty + noun

be + faulty

用法筆記

Almost always used of physical objects whose problem is built-in rather than caused by the user. Frequently appears in consumer complaints and product recalls.

常見錯誤

❌I am faulty today and keep dropping things.
✅I am clumsy today and keep dropping things.
💡'faulty' describes objects, not people.

2. Describes thinking, information, or judgement that contains errors, so any decis

2.形容詞C1
釋義

Describes thinking, information, or judgement that contains errors, so any decision based on it is likely to be wrong.

例句

The committee chose poorly because they relied on faulty data from an old report.

collocation: faulty data / information

Romi's argument collapsed once the teacher pointed out the faulty reasoning behind it.

collocation: faulty reasoning / logic

同義詞
  • flawed

    more common in everyday writing; same meaning

  • mistaken

    describes the person or belief; lighter than 'faulty'

  • unsound

    formal; often used of arguments and judgement

反義詞
  • sound

    the standard opposite for reasoning and arguments

  • valid

    used especially of arguments and conclusions

文法句型

faulty + abstract noun (reasoning, logic, assumption, judgement, data)

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: only used attributively before abstract nouns about thought or information (reasoning, logic, assumption, data, judgement). You cannot say 'the assumption is faulty' as naturally as you can say 'the wire is faulty'.

常見錯誤

❌His answer was faulty.
✅His answer was wrong.' / 'His reasoning was faulty.
💡'faulty' fits abstract patterns of thinking, not a single answer.