as in weaknesses
a defect in character
we could talk about your failings, but it would take all night
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Recent Examples of failings
If the continuity, cohesion and familiarity offered by those who stayed does not prove enough to keep Leeds in the league, the inability to sell efficiently in the summer window will be seen as one of the failings.
—
Beren Cross, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Thailand under Anutin will try to depart from Pheu Thai’s failings as much as possible, says Cogan.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
To the communists, the army – and its failings – were the product of the corrupt government under Chiang.
—Meredith Oyen, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
But in this history, Thompson and Klein, bard of the Times’ daily podcast, make a legible case for the failings of 20th century liberalism.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
The senator laid the blame for the breaches squarely on the judiciary’s refusal to acknowledge the security failings openly and its resistance to disclose the causes and enact meaningful changes to prevent future breaches.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
Women often internalize their difficulties, believing the struggles are personal failings.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Despite the failings, SpaceX has pressed on and said each setback is part of the learning curve for the world’s most powerful, 403-foot rocket.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2025
In his review, The Hollywood Reporter‘s chief film critic, David Rooney, praises Reichardt for creating a genre picture that doesn’t include the usual tropes in order to focus on character, human failings and the lengths people go to when faced with struggles.
—Katherine Schaffstall, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2025
Beren Cross, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Thailand under Anutin will try to depart from Pheu Thai’s failings as much as possible, says Cogan.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
To the communists, the army – and its failings – were the product of the corrupt government under Chiang.
—Meredith Oyen, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
But in this history, Thompson and Klein, bard of the Times’ daily podcast, make a legible case for the failings of 20th century liberalism.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
The senator laid the blame for the breaches squarely on the judiciary’s refusal to acknowledge the security failings openly and its resistance to disclose the causes and enact meaningful changes to prevent future breaches.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
Women often internalize their difficulties, believing the struggles are personal failings.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Despite the failings, SpaceX has pressed on and said each setback is part of the learning curve for the world’s most powerful, 403-foot rocket.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2025
In his review, The Hollywood Reporter‘s chief film critic, David Rooney, praises Reichardt for creating a genre picture that doesn’t include the usual tropes in order to focus on character, human failings and the lengths people go to when faced with struggles.
—Katherine Schaffstall, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failings
Noun
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With cybercriminals already having stolen over $2 billion in 2025, according to DeFiLlama, a 77% increase from 2024, the weaknesses of the DeFi ecosystem continue to prove lucrative for hackers and other criminal elements.—
Sean Stein Smith,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
But football evolves, and opponents will work out a team’s strengths and turn them into weaknesses.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The defroster and defogger system shuts off during certain HVAC system faults, such as electrical compressor failure, due to the programming of the HVAC and ECU software, according to the recall report.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The Venezuelan government’s faults abound.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Among dentists, it's treated as one of the great sins, right up there with sugar before bed or smoking cigarettes.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
But after Davina publicly accuses Julia mid-labor of seducing Lord Lovat, the group of women suddenly turn on Julia, yelling at her to repent her sins and repeatedly questioning her about the paternity of her child.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The current Razorback defenders are well aware of the shortcomings in last year’s game.—
Tom Murphy,
Arkansas Online,
12 Sep. 2025
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The shoddy work and questionable conclusions of that report were so extensive that an analysis of it required over 450 pages to detail all of its shortcomings.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Failings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failings. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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