at fault

A a

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [at fawlt]
- /æt fɔlt/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [at fawlt]
- /æt fɔlt/

Definitions of at fault words

phrase at fault If someone or something is at fault, they are to blame or are responsible for a particular situation that has gone wrong. 3
noun at fault guilty of error; culpable 3
noun at fault perplexed 3
noun at fault (of hounds) having temporarily lost the scent 3
noun at fault unable to find the scent 3
noun at fault not knowing what to do; perplexed 3

See all 26 definitions of at fault

Information block about the term

Origin of at fault

First appearance:

before 1250

One of the 11% oldest English words

1250-1300; Middle English faute < Anglo-French, Middle French < Vulgar Latin *fallita, noun use of feminine of *fallitus, for Latin falsus, past participle of fallere to be wrong

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for At fault

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of At fault

at fault popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

at fault usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for at fault

adj at fault

blameworthy — deserving disapproval or censure
culpable — If someone or their conduct is culpable, they are responsible for something wrong or bad that has happened.
guilty — having committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, especially against moral or penal law; justly subject to a certain accusation or penalty; culpable: The jury found her guilty of murder.
liable — legally responsible: You are liable for the damage caused by your action.
responsible — answerable or accountable, as for something within one's power, control, or management (often followed by to or for): He is responsible to the president for his decisions.

All 8 Synonyms of at fault