Many English words have multiple meanings, and learning to use words correctly in context, according to a specific definition, is an important skill to learn as you increase your English vocabulary. When you’re first studying a word, check a dictionary to find out all of the different ways that word can be used, and when you’re writing out your practice sentences, make sure you include at least one version using the word in each of its common usages. If there’s an archaic meaning or definition listed in the dictionary (it will usually be at the bottom of the list) then you don’t need to focus on that, unless you’re interested in reading English literature of that era.

Sometimes two of the common definitions for a word will have meanings that appear to contradict each other. Again, context is important when considering the meaning and usage of a word, so think about the words as they would be used in a sentence, and not just as they are defined. An example of a word with potentially conflicting meanings is foible (FOY-buhl). This noun has two^* primary definitions:

1. a person’s habit or mannerism that is somewhat strange and/or silly

2. a person’s moral weakness or failure

As you can see, if you are referring to someone’s odd habit, you’re not necessarily condemning them for it. Here are two examples of the word in context:

Example 1: The producer put up with all of the actor’s foibles – including his insistence on having fresh figs in his suite at all times and his demand that every visitor to the suite wear something green for luck – in hopes that having him in the starring role would bring in the biggest audiences.

Example 2: That dentist used to spend his lunch hour dosing himself with nitrous oxide, and while none of his patients ever filed a complaint, the medical board found it to be a potentially harmful foible, and withdrew his license.

In general, the first usage is more common, and you’ll most often hear the word used in the plural form. Some synonyms for foible (using this first definition) are eccentricity, peculiarity, and idiosyncrasy.

* If you’re a fencer, you’ll also know that the word refers to the top third of a sword, nearest the point – the weakest section of the sword.