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
For all their failings, though, they should not be completely dismissed out of hand as a potential next destination.
—
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Robotics startups typically prefer to show off their research prototypes in videos on social media, offering them the opportunity to show the machines at their best and edit out their failings.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2026
Its medical professionals aren’t just competent but morally perfect, their personal failings serving mainly to make their essential nobility more tangible.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Federal and municipal investigations linked infant mortality and other diseases to contaminated water, overcrowded housing, and inadequate sanitation, rather than to individual failings.
—Time, 19 Dec. 2025
Although officials do not believe that there will be any permanent damage to the collection, the leak is further cause for concern after the October 19 heist highlighted serious security failings at the Louvre.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
None of the Tim Walz failings have been enjoyable to chronicle.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 6 Dec. 2025
That fire was blamed on firms fitting the exterior with flammable cladding, as well as failings by the government and the construction industry.
—Joyce Zhou, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Each one highlights the failings of a different part of our system of constitutional government.
—Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Robotics startups typically prefer to show off their research prototypes in videos on social media, offering them the opportunity to show the machines at their best and edit out their failings.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2026
Its medical professionals aren’t just competent but morally perfect, their personal failings serving mainly to make their essential nobility more tangible.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Federal and municipal investigations linked infant mortality and other diseases to contaminated water, overcrowded housing, and inadequate sanitation, rather than to individual failings.
—Time, 19 Dec. 2025
Although officials do not believe that there will be any permanent damage to the collection, the leak is further cause for concern after the October 19 heist highlighted serious security failings at the Louvre.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
None of the Tim Walz failings have been enjoyable to chronicle.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 6 Dec. 2025
That fire was blamed on firms fitting the exterior with flammable cladding, as well as failings by the government and the construction industry.
—Joyce Zhou, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Each one highlights the failings of a different part of our system of constitutional government.
—Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failings
Noun
-
Europe is not unaware of its own weaknesses, but this really became too much.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The retail company, which is the parent of luxury department stores Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, missed a $100 million debt payment in December, a move that exposed financial weaknesses in its business.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Wind turbines are particularly vulnerable to fire caused by lightning strikes or electrical faults.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
-
For Southern California, that means clearer insight into how faults behave between earthquakes.—
Marina Jurica,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Which draws the attention of another ghost, a French man with a stack of papers documenting the man’s sins.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Despite its shortcomings, MiCA did establish important regulatory rules of the road that can be beneficial to the broader European cryptocurrency market if financial institutions are incentivized to take a more proactive approach to stablecoins.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Other clubs had also been aware of this particular concern, noting his creditable goalscoring record, but also his shortcomings, including his off-the-ball diligence and ability to fashion chances himself.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Failings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failings. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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