as in weakness
a defect in character
a wife who never tires of listing her husband's perceived shortcomings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shortcoming
Bass has consistently denied any role in altering the after-action report on the Palisades fire to minimize the city and fire department’s shortcomings.
—
Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 5 Feb. 2026
The findings from the school-system audit add to the list of shortcomings hanging over the troubled safety program.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
In 2020, there was internal pushback within Nike by Black employees who wanted the company to acknowledge shortcomings in the company’s own workforce diversity before putting out an advertisement at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement featuring LeBron James and Megan Rapinoe.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Feb. 2026
But finding a way to reimagine a roster to account for his strengths and shortcomings is a major undertaking and the list of realistic suitors is limited even before considering scheme and depth-chart implications.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortcoming
Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 5 Feb. 2026
The findings from the school-system audit add to the list of shortcomings hanging over the troubled safety program.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
In 2020, there was internal pushback within Nike by Black employees who wanted the company to acknowledge shortcomings in the company’s own workforce diversity before putting out an advertisement at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement featuring LeBron James and Megan Rapinoe.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Feb. 2026
But finding a way to reimagine a roster to account for his strengths and shortcomings is a major undertaking and the list of realistic suitors is limited even before considering scheme and depth-chart implications.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortcoming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortcoming
Noun
-
If your goal is to get at the truth, or at least our closest approximation of it at the present time, the way to do that is to be scrupulous and forthright about the strengths and weaknesses of every link in your chain of argument.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This can raise resting heart rate, increase weakness and fatigue, and reduce endurance—even during everyday activities, not just exercise.—
Katharine Gammon,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
When a vehicle loses power, however, electronic doors go from an inconvenience to a potentially lethal design fault.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
5 Feb. 2026
-
When the tectonic plates began to pull apart millions of years later, those ancient faults at their edges reawakened, reincarnated as transform faults.—
Evan Howell,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But does exchanging flirty messages with Ghislaine Maxwell while he was married three years before Jeffrey Epstein was first publicly accused of wrongdoing in 2006 really constitute a career-ending sin?—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus Christ's victory over sin and death through his resurrection.—
Chris Sims,
IndyStar,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
No vitamin D deficiency around here.—
Becky Bartkowski,
AZCentral.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
High-impact sports can also destroy red blood cells, leading to iron deficiency anemia, while some athletes might also lose blood through their gastrointestinal tract, Hew-Butler says.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The report claimed these changes were made to minimize the city and fire department’s failings.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Foster acknowledged state efforts to hold the district accountable have at times been justified, including in 2023 when TEA investigated chronic failings in the district’s special education department.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortcoming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortcoming. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
