flaw

Compared meaning: a weakness or imperfection in something (noun).

比较义项：缺点、瑕疵、缺陷（n.）。

• fault

  Fault stresses personal responsibility or blame for a mistake, as in 'whose fault', and can also mean a weakness in someone's character.

  Fault 强调对某个错误应负的个人责任或过失，如“whose fault”，也可指某人性格上的缺点。

  Losing the match was entirely his own fault, not the referee's.

  输掉比赛完全是他自己的过错，不是裁判的错。

• flaw 本词

  Flaw points to a small, often subtle imperfection in an object, design, or character that slightly lowers its quality or beauty.

  Flaw 指物品、设计或性格中一个细微、常不易察觉的瑕疵，会略微降低其质量或美感。

  A tiny flaw in the diamond made it worth much less.

  钻石上一个细小的瑕疵使它的价值大打折扣。

• defect

  Defect is more formal and technical, describing a structural or functional flaw in a manufactured product that can make it fail to work properly.

  Defect 更正式、更具技术色彩，指产品在结构或功能上的缺陷，可能导致其无法正常工作。

  The device was recalled because of a serious wiring defect.

  这款设备因为一个严重的接线缺陷被召回。

These three words all mean a weakness or flaw, but differ. Fault is about blame, as in whose fault, or a weakness in character. Flaw is a small imperfection in an object, design, or character. Defect is a formal, technical fault in a manufactured product.

这三个词在“缺点/瑕疵”这一意义上很接近，但语气和用法不同：fault 强调个人应负的过错或责任，也可指性格上的缺点；flaw 多指物品、设计或性格中细微、不易察觉的瑕疵；defect 更正式，多指产品在结构或功能上的技术性缺陷。fault 在其他语境中还可表示地质学中的“断层”，此处不作比较。