to a fault

English

Adverb

to a fault (not comparable)

(idiomatic) To an excessive degree; extremely.
I am trusting to a fault.

Usage notes

"To a fault" is ordinarily used to modify an adjective which describes some desirable or otherwise positive characteristic of a person. Sometimes the expression functions as a strong intensifier, meaning "extremely." Often, however, the expression is used to indicate that the person possesses or exhibits that characteristic in a measure which can reasonably be regarded as disproportionate, unwise, over the top, or annoying.

Quotations

				1710	1883 1887	1904	2001
ME «	15th c.	16th c.	17th c.	18th c.	19th c.	20th c.	21st c.

1710, Issac Norris, Friendly Advice to the Inhabitants of Pensilvania, Andrew Bradford (Philadelphia), p. 2,
He also had that good qualification, of a moderate expectation, almost to a fault.
1883, Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi, ch. 34 "Tough Yarns,"
These mosquitoes . . . are feeble, insignificant in size, diffident to a fault.
1887, Charles Darwin, The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, ch. 3,
Fitz-Roy's character was a singular one, with very many noble features: he was devoted to his duty, generous to a fault, bold, determined, and indomitably energetic.
1904, Rex Ellingwood Beach, "Pardners" in Pardners,
Madam, I'm as gentle as a jellyfish, and peaceful to a fault.
2001, Aparisim Ghosh, "Subcontinental Drift: Shining Star," Time, 13 Feb.,
Self-deprecating to a fault, he refuses any praise for his work.

References

"to a fault" in the Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989. See "to a fault," under "fault (n.)."
Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996. See "to a fault," under "fault."