FLAWED Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

flawed 1 of 2

adjective

ˈflȯd

Definition of flawed

as in defective

having a fault a flawed paint job that resulted in some peeling almost as soon as the paint had dried

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flawed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of flaw

as in damaged

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of flawed

Adjective

For years, school administrators across the system used flawed methods to track graduation rates, often counting students who had transferred to other schools as dropouts. — Savannah Peters, Fortune, 13 July 2026 Paramount blasted the suit as ‘fundamentally flawed’ and a veiled attempt to protect streaming tech giants, including Netflix. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Verb

His lawsuit, filed May 27, alleges his June 1991 death sentence was flawed from the start after nine Black people were kept from serving on the jury. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 3 June 2026 Black women get to be flawed in this world. — Candice Frederick, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for flawed

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flawed

Adjective

Eimers drove the two of us to the closest guardrail, which was also the closest defective guardrail.

— Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
The initiative was likely constitutionally defective from the outset, even as initiative petitions circulated in all corners of the Commonwealth.

— Robert Cordy, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026

Definition of defective

Verb

Kuwait has borne the brunt of Iranian strikes, with a desalination plant and oil refinery damaged.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Overnight strikes damaged two tunnels and a bridge, disrupting a main highway toward Bandar Abbas, Iran's main port that sits near the narrowest part of the strait, according to IRNA.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 July 2026

Definition of damaged

Adjective

Room numbers are handwritten on the doors rather than printed—an intentionally imperfect detail that nods to Berlin’s slightly rough-around-the-edges character.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2026
Second, shame tolerance, launching imperfect products early, overcoming discomfort with being seen unfinished.

— Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of imperfect

Verb

In an address from the White House tonight, the president sought to reveal proof for his baseless assertions of a 2020 vote marred by fraud.

— Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Cars have destroyed one-third of the roughly 70 planters the city installed back in 2020 and marred the survivors with chips, scratches and dents.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026

Definition of marred

Adjective

The situation is particularly bad in France, which has already recorded more than 300 wildfires this year, compared to an annual average of 93, according to the EFFIS.

— Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Anderson’s injury record is slightly worse by virtue of a stress fracture in his back that kept him out for four months in the middle of the 2023-24 season, but over the two subsequent campaigns both have been near-constantly available.

— Cerys Jones, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of bad

Verb

Four ethics experts told ProPublica that by accepting the premium tickets Trusty and Carr compromised the FCC’s impartiality and should not take part in any upcoming decision on the merger.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026
In 2016, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest accounts were briefly compromised by a group called OurMine Team.

— Rachel Ventresca, Fortune, 16 July 2026

Definition of compromised

Verb

Russia has been doing this since the start of the war, terrorizing Ukrainian cities with aerial assaults that have killed thousands of civilians and crippled much of the country’s energy grid for months on end.

— Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 15 July 2026
Data loss via staff cuts Widespread staff cuts starting in early 2025 across the Department of Health and Human Services, which houses the CDC, crippled much of the agency’s data collection and dissemination.

— John Kubale, The Conversation, 8 July 2026

Definition of crippled

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flawed

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“Flawed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flawed. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of flawed

adjective

verb

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