character flaw
Inherent moral defect
A character flaw is a defect in someone's personality or moral constitution—a weakness that undermines otherwise good qualities.
Fiction relies on character flaws to make protagonists human and relatable: His jealousy was the character flaw that destroyed him.
The term implies something deep-seated rather than a momentary lapse.
- hamartiaFatal error causing downfall
- hubrisRuinous excessive confidence
- imperfectionFault or shortcoming
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- blind spotArea of blocked perception
tragedy · moral decay · narcissism · pride · self-sabotage · stubborn · selfish · jealousy · arrogant · grandiosity · vainglory · duplicity · envy · self-delusion · inner demon · dark side · trust issues · vanity
- flawsfaults, defect, blemish, imperfections, blemishes
- tragedytragedy, tragic hero, tragic heroes, tragic irony, catharsis
- greedgreed, avarice, covetousness, cupidity, materialism
- indulgenceindulgence, indulge, indulgent, self-indulgent, overindulgence
- charactersprotagonist, antagonist, hero, villain, heroine
- envy themesjealousy, covetousness, green-eyed monster, resentment, bitterness
character flawvirtue
Moral goodness or merit
character strength · moral virtue · moral excellence · integrity · uprightness
character flawheroic virtue
Extraordinary moral excellence
strength · superpower · gift · asset · forte
character, flaw, flawless, flawed, characters, flaws, characterize, flawlessly, characterization