as in defect
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
noted the flaw in the diamond before I bought it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
that crack has flawed the vase to the extent that its value in the antiques market is greatly reduced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flaw
María Mérida, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2025
However, their biggest flaw has been the behavior of sulfur inside the battery.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
Liyam Chitayat, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025
Past attempts at crop substitution failed due to bureaucratic hurdles, missing funds, and flawed agricultural projects.
—Bram Ebus, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flaw
Noun
Blair is a person with flaws, and of course, there’s also the whole glamour thing surrounding her and that fantasy part.
—María Mérida, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2025
However, their biggest flaw has been the behavior of sulfur inside the battery.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
Although flawed in many ways, the BWC has helped prevent the spread of biological weapons.
—Liyam Chitayat, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025
Past attempts at crop substitution failed due to bureaucratic hurdles, missing funds, and flawed agricultural projects.
—Bram Ebus, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flaw
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flaw
Noun
-
But its stock’s advance has lagged that of rival GM as costly recalls to fix quality defects have detracted from Farley’s strategic refocusing and efforts to improve profit margins.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
By protecting tungsten diselenide’s atomic-scale defects, the coating dramatically improved photon reliability.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At the same time, people familiar with the investigation told me that Khan has devoted much of his defense to convincing investigators that Israel and its allies are exploiting the accuser in order to damage him and the court.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
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This common strain releases a toxin that can damage blood vessels in the intestines and kidneys, which can cause serious complications like kidney damage.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The belly is tan or gray with dark blotches.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What little momentum the Broncos created was frequently marred by penalties, and a third-down sack had ruined a scoring chance in the first half.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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The show was marred only by an audio mix that dimmed Coleman’s evocative voice amid a wash of instruments — at least from this reviewer’s spot in the Fox — but the Red Clay Strays’ impact shone through nevertheless.—
Brian McCollum,
Freep.com,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The scars are beautiful and almost aerodynamic.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
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Slow-moving thunderstorms frequently unleash catastrophic downpours over the South Fork burn scar, a region still reeling from two fires that scorched over 15,000 acres and destroyed 1,400 structures.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The working group was created to cool down the heated debate among Ohio lawmakers over property taxes, and offer solutions that would not compromise funding to public services.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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In fact, the survey found that those in Gen Z and Baby Boomers were most likely to say to compromise, while Millennials and Gen Xers were the most likely to say stand on principle.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Police in England said one of the two Jewish community members killed and one of the victims injured during an attack at a synagogue on Yom Kippur are now believed to have been struck by police gunfire as officers tried to stop the attacker.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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The kids associate helicopters with life flights to the local hospital, a sign that someone has been seriously injured, Cornelison said.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Such a finding could’ve crippled the operations of Google, Meta and X, among various others.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Sep. 2025
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Given the right series of chances, players could potentially construct a build that blasts thunder and chains together static strikes that will cripple entire rooms of foes at once.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flaw. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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