peccadillo

[ pek-uh-dil-oh ]

noun

, plural pec·ca·dil·loes, pec·ca·dil·los.

1. a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault.

   Synonyms: indiscretion, faux pas, slip, lapse

peccadillo

/ ˌpɛkəˈdɪləʊ /

noun

1. a petty sin or trifling fault

Word History and Origins

Origin of peccadillo¹

1585–95; < Spanish pecadillo, diminutive of pecado sin < Latin peccātum transgression, noun use of neuter of past participle of peccāre to err, offend

Word History and Origins

Origin of peccadillo¹

C16: from Spanish pecadillo, from pecado sin, from Latin peccātum, from peccāre to transgress

Example Sentences

He obviously wants the world to remember and think of him as strong and resolute, and basically a good guy despite his personal peccadilloes.

From Salon

“Those are personal peccadilloes that you may have,” Scorsese incorrectly guesses.

From Los Angeles Times

But it’s also a clever riff on the family sitcom, as the establishment’s proprietor is the patriarch of a decidedly oddball family; most surprisingly, it treats that family with genuine affection, peccadilloes and all.

From New York Times

But as the capital merry-go-round spun its peccadilloes, scandals and ballyhooed promises, his jaunty baritone restored order with bipartisan japes and irreverent songs to deflate the preening ego and the Big Idea.

From New York Times

Yet he is likely soon to be sworn in, admitting only to the peccadillo of “résumé embellishment” when really what he seems to have done is “made up almost everything about his biography.”

From Washington Post

Related Words

• impropriety
• indiscretion