infallible

/ɪnˈfæləbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈfæləbl/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)in-ˈfa-lə-bəl/ (ame, mw)

infallible — adjective

  • infalliblepositive
  • more infalliblecomparative
  • most infalliblesuperlative

1. always right in judgment, or working perfectly every single time without breakin

1.形容詞C1
釋義

always right in judgment, or working perfectly every single time without breaking down or producing a wrong result.

例句

Christopher trusts his grandmother's infallible sense of when a storm is coming.

infallible + noun (sense, instinct, memory)

No coach, however experienced, is infallible when choosing the starting lineup.

predicative: be infallible (about people)

同義詞
  • unerring

    formal; emphasises always hitting the target, especially of judgment or aim

  • foolproof

    informal; usually of methods or designs that even careless users cannot break

  • flawless

    wider scope; means without any flaw, not specifically about never failing

反義詞
  • fallible

    direct opposite — capable of being wrong or of failing

  • unreliable

    weaker; means cannot be trusted, but not necessarily always wrong

用法筆記

Often used with negation (not infallible) to remind readers that experts, machines, or methods can still fail. Subject is typically a person's judgment (sense, memory, instinct) or a method, machine, or system.

常見錯誤

❌My phone is infallible for taking photos.
✅My phone is reliable for taking photos.
💡'infallible' is much stronger than 'reliable'; reserve it for things claimed to never fail at all.