Faultless

Faultless is an adjective describing something that is without fault or defect, or that achieves a high level of perfection in performance, quality, or conduct. It is commonly used for both tangible objects and intangible qualities, such as a faultless argument, a faultless memory, or faultless service. In everyday language, it often signals reliability, precision, or impeccable accuracy, though it can also carry moral overtones when describing character or conduct.

Etymology and form: The word faults derives from the Old French faute, itself from Latin roots, and the suffix -less means without. The combination yields faultless, meaning without faults. The term has been part of English since the Middle English period and is closely related to but sometimes differentiated from flawless; both convey high or perfect quality, with slight nuances in nuance and emphasis.

Usage and nuance: In contemporary usage, faultless and flawless are often interchangeable. Some nuance favors faultless when emphasizing adherence to standards or the absence of detectable faults under scrutiny, whereas flawless is frequently used to stress absolute perfection. In British English, faultless is common across formal and evaluative contexts, while in American usage flawless tends to be more prevalent in everyday speech.

See also: fault, flaw, defect, perfection, faultless vs. flawless.