as in weakness
a defect in character
a wife who never tires of listing her husband's perceived shortcomings
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Recent Examples of shortcoming
The Trojans have started unbeaten behind a well-rounded offense and solid defense that continues to deliver despite shortcomings in the secondary.
—
Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
The network isn’t without its shortcomings.
—Paul Rogers, Boston Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The contrast was on display in the session’s opening moments, when Annalena Baerbock, the General Assembly’s president, urged delegates not to give in to despair about the institution’s shortcomings.
—Nik Popli, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
And even newer backup technologies face shortcomings; for instance, visual systems can fail because of cloud cover or when used over water.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortcoming
Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
The network isn’t without its shortcomings.
—Paul Rogers, Boston Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The contrast was on display in the session’s opening moments, when Annalena Baerbock, the General Assembly’s president, urged delegates not to give in to despair about the institution’s shortcomings.
—Nik Popli, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
And even newer backup technologies face shortcomings; for instance, visual systems can fail because of cloud cover or when used over water.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortcoming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortcoming
Noun
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Though the Red Sox did shoot themselves in the foot with base-running, fielding and bunting failures in Game 2, thus costing them their shot at reaching the ALDS, Game 3 was a bit more representative of the Red Sox and their weaknesses.—
Michael Hurley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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However, other small business indicators show weakness.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Only one drive on Monday even crossed into Denver territory, even if that wasn’t all his fault.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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None were definitively the fault of Waymo’s actual self-driving technology.—
Saahil Desai,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The brothers grew up in a household ruled by their mother’s preachings about the sins of lust and carnal desire, per the outlet, which also reports that their father was an alcoholic.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
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This also ensures the bacon drippings don’t go to waste, which is a serious Southern sin.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Testosterone replacement therapy is designed to restore normal hormone levels in men with deficiency, not to boost or optimize performance, Munger noted.—
Shiv Sudhakar,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Rocha also has language deficiencies and has low cognitive functioning, testing with an IQ of 81 as a child, according to Reynolds.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Hilary Putnam, one of the 20th century’s most influential philosophers, stood out as a rare figure who treated changing his mind as a virtue rather than a failing.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
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The inquest is expected to consider some or all of the concerns that were raised at the time and reported by The Athletic in the immediate aftermath, with multiple eyewitnesses alleging failings in the care provided by Sheffield Wednesday and its medical services.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shortcoming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortcoming. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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