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
Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Epistemia is a name for a flaw in how people interpret these models, in which linguistic plausibility is taken as a surrogate for truth.
—Walter Quattrociocchi, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2026
Kevin Omland, The Conversation, 9 Feb. 2026
Each season follows a different Richard Bean production that will reflect the stories unfolding in the lovable but flawed Bean family and the transformative power of making art.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flaw
Noun
When the strategy is weak or the prompt given AI reflects inexperience, the output delivers the same flaws — in more persuasive language.
—Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Epistemia is a name for a flaw in how people interpret these models, in which linguistic plausibility is taken as a surrogate for truth.
—Walter Quattrociocchi, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
Modern evolutionary biology and genomics debunk that flawed perspective, showing there is no hierarchy in evolution.
—Kevin Omland, The Conversation, 9 Feb. 2026
Each season follows a different Richard Bean production that will reflect the stories unfolding in the lovable but flawed Bean family and the transformative power of making art.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flaw
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flaw
Noun
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Under most state consumer protection laws, businesses can’t charge customers for pre-existing defects.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
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But the document also expresses uncertainty about whether the potential defects constitute a crime, noting that elections in Fulton County have already been the subject of multiple reviews.—
Kate Brumback,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Overall, European leaders’ positive reception of Rubio’s speech reflected how horrifically damaged the transatlantic relationship has been by the past year of turmoil over Ukraine, and month of arson over Greenland.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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Some of the fiercest storms in the South were reported near Lake Charles, Louisiana, where high winds from a thunderstorm overturned a horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float, damaged an airport jet bridge and flung the metal awning from a house into power lines.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Its purple black center was surrounded by blotches of varying shades and textures, raised or sunken at places.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Feb. 2026
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With the proper equipment, the sun spots will appear as a small black blotch close to the center of the solar disk, positioned a little above the sun’s equator.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The abrupt withdrawal of Microsoft's co-founder dealt a fresh blow to a flagship event already marred by organizational lapses, a robot row and complaints of traffic chaos.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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But more recently, Clark’s tenure has been marred by dissent and distractions.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For the first time, the researchers demonstrated that human spinal cord organoids can reproduce the formation of dense glial scars, which block nerve regeneration.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
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In addition to flash flood risks, residents in burn scar areas in Los Angeles County face a threat of mudslides as the rainfall accumulates.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Peace negotiations appear stuck, with Russia sticking to maximalist demands on which Zelensky is not willing to compromise.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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Investigator’s with the Office of the Inspector General discovered the official’s efforts while looking into whether the man had compromised the procurement process for an element of the LIRR’s positive train-control system.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In December, another snowmobiler was badly injured in an avalanche at Latopie Lake in Mono County, and was airlifted for emergency services in Reno.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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The three people injured were grandparents Linda and Gerald Dorgan, and a family friend Thomas Geruso, Goncalves said.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Foot traffic at restaurants, shops and mosques sharply declined, turning once-lively economic and social hubs into ghost towns, and threatening to cripple the livelihood of an entire community.—
Yahya Salem,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Working at temperatures that would normally cripple lithium-ion cells, a team of Chinese researchers has built a new liquid-solid-state lithium battery that continues to deliver power in deep-freeze conditions.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flaw. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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