human error
Fallible judgment's consequence
Human error is a mistake made by a person rather than caused by equipment failure or external factors.
The term appears frequently in accident reports, safety analyses, and system design: The crash was attributed to human error.
It often implies that better procedures or training might have prevented the outcome, though critics note it can oversimplify complex failures or unfairly assign blame.
Foolish, costly mistake
- slipMinor error or misstep
- gaffeClumsy social error
- lapseBrief failure or expiration
- goofMinor foolish error
fumble · bungle · screwup · snafu · flub · blooper · foul-up · mix-up
Inattention causing mistakes
- neglectFailure to provide care
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- omissionFailure to include
- lapseBrief failure or expiration
inattention · forgetfulness · heedlessness · inadvertence · disregard · dereliction · remissness · recklessness
Assign responsibility for wrongdoing
- responsibilityState of being answerable
- faultImperfection or blame
- liabilityLegal or financial obligation
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
negligence · malpractice · disciplinary · reprimand · investigation · root-cause · review · audit
Fault or shortcoming
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- fallibilityLiability to err
- limitationBound on extent
- shortcomingA fault or weakness
unreliability · inconsistency · variability · deficiency · inadequacy · susceptibility · vulnerability · distraction
Error in estimation
- misestimateJudge incorrectly
- misjudgmentFaulty evaluation of something
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- misreadingIncorrect interpretation of text
misperception · miscommunication · misunderstanding · assumption · overconfidence · underestimation · overestimation
Minor unfortunate occurrence
- crashSudden violent impact
- collisionForceful contact between objects
- disasterSudden ruinous event
- catastropheDevastating, large-scale misfortune
tragedy · fatality · casualty · derailment · incident · malfunction · breakdown · fiasco
blunder
Foolish, costly mistake
goof · fumble · bungle · screwup · snafu · flub · blooper · foul-up · mix-up · typo
carelessness
Inattention causing mistakes
- neglectFailure to provide care
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- omissionFailure to include
lapse · inattention · forgetfulness · heedlessness · inadvertence · disregard · dereliction · remissness · recklessness · complacency
blame
Assign responsibility for wrongdoing
- responsibilityState of being answerable
- faultImperfection or blame
- liabilityLegal or financial obligation
culpability · negligence · malpractice · disciplinary · reprimand · investigation · root-cause · review · audit
imperfection
Fault or shortcoming
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- fallibilityLiability to err
- limitationBound on extent
shortcoming · unreliability · inconsistency · variability · deficiency · inadequacy · susceptibility · vulnerability · distraction · inattention
miscalculation
Error in estimation
- misestimateJudge incorrectly
- misjudgmentFaulty evaluation of something
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
misreading · misperception · miscommunication · misunderstanding · assumption · overconfidence · underestimation · overestimation
mishap
Minor unfortunate occurrence
catastrophe · tragedy · fatality · casualty · derailment · incident · malfunction · breakdown · fiasco · injury
- Crash InvestigationsNTSB, crash investigation, crash site, crash scene, black box
- operational riskssystem failure, equipment failure, data breach, software bug, hardware failure
- research errorsselection bias, confirmation bias, survivorship bias, cognitive bias, confounding variables
- lab errorsmislabeling, cross-contamination, equipment failure, misidentification, quality control failure
- measurement errorsinaccuracy, imprecision
- errorsmistake, blunder, blunders, fault, flaw
human errormechanical failure
Equipment stops working properly
system failure · software bug · design flaw · structural failure · act of God
human errorflawless execution
Task done perfectly
sound judgment · best practice · due diligence · professional conduct
human, error, humane, humanity, inhuman, humankind, superhuman, inhumanity, humanize