Peccadillo: Definition & Meaning for the SAT
⚡️ PECCADILLO most nearly means: (A) major crime; (B) celebration; (C) compliment; (D) minor fault. 👉 Answer + examples, pronunciation, and full SAT explanation inside.
TL;DR: Peccadillo means a small, relatively unimportant offense or sin.
ℹ️ Part of Speech of Peccadillo
peccadillo is a NOUN.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Peccadillo
peccadillo is pronounced /ˌpek.ə.ˈdɪl.oʊ/ or pek-uh-DIL-oh.
📚️ Definition of Peccadillo
A small, relatively unimportant offense or sin; a minor fault or slight misconduct. Example: forgetting to return a library book on time is just a peccadillo.
📰 Examples of Peccadillo
Here are some examples of the word peccadillo:
The politician's career survived several peccadilloes, including a couple of mispronounced words and getting a speeding ticket.
Compared to her brother's habit of spreading gossip, Maria's peccadillo of chewing gum in class seemed hardly worth mentioning.
The CEO dismissed the accounting error as a mere peccadillo, not realizing it would later expose a pattern of financial mismanagement.
✅ Quiz answer
Answer to the question above:
D, minor fault. Explanations: A doesn't work; a major crime would be a felony, not a peccadillo. B is incorrect; celebration has nothing to do with wrongdoing. C doesn't fit; a compliment is positive feedback, while a peccadillo is a small misdeed.
My son recognized it's mentioned in Good Will Hunting. What a great scene!