as in unprepared
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Recent Examples of flat-footed
And those of us who stay flat-footed on Earth are well accustomed to lift-off cancellations and postponed blastoffs.
—
Arkansas Online, 28 Feb. 2026
The Rangers had some early success using it to clog the middle of the ice, but too often got caught flat-footed and were left vulnerable to odd-man rushes.
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
But the person also predicted that some of crypto’s allies in Washington could be caught flat-footed by the banking ramp-up.
—Rachel Witkowski, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Interestingly the Milei administration appeared to have been caught flat-footed by the news.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flat-footed
Arkansas Online, 28 Feb. 2026
The Rangers had some early success using it to clog the middle of the ice, but too often got caught flat-footed and were left vulnerable to odd-man rushes.
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
But the person also predicted that some of crypto’s allies in Washington could be caught flat-footed by the banking ramp-up.
—Rachel Witkowski, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Interestingly the Milei administration appeared to have been caught flat-footed by the news.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flat-footed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flat-footed
Adjective
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When this relocation process breaks down, and viscous black liquid flows into marine environments, plants and animals are evolutionarily unprepared.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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Pushing unprepared students through high school and college diminishes the value of the degrees that students and families have sacrificed years and tens of thousands of dollars to attain.—
David Blobaum,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Admitting underprepared students, especially those already disadvantaged, harms them.—
David Blobaum,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
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Having underprepared for an audience with Pope John Paul II, a panicked Minnelli offered to sing.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
If Orion is deemed unready for the TLI burn, Artemis 2 will get no farther than Earth orbit.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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But raising kids to follow rules and memorize answers prepares them for jobs that may no longer exist, leaving them unready for a world that rewards creativity, curiosity and problem-solving.—
Vivienne Ming,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flat-footed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flat-footed. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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