as in defects
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
noted the flaw in the diamond before I bought it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in damages
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
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 flaws
Andy Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
The filing cites past crashes, including a fatal 2009 FedEx MD-11 crash in Tokyo, and alleges similar design flaws or defects in Boeing’s MD-11 may have caused or contributed to the November 4 crash.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Scientists are natural skeptics, and his first instinct was to look for flaws.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025
Those include serious flaws that could let apps access sensitive data or take screenshots without permission.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Tuesday’s paper builds on previous research pointing out flaws in many AI benchmarks.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
None of the above is nearly enough to compensate for its fundamental flaws, especially considering how crowded with domestic thrillers TV has become.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
There seem to be so many singer-songwriters who have the power and the confidence to tell very female, very personal stories through their music, showing their strengths and flaws.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Jesse Mendez, director of safe parking at Jewish Family Service, the nonprofit overseeing the program, said Mission Valley did have its flaws.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
Mentality and late goals defined their seven-game winning run to start the campaign but there were flaws in those performances and they were exposed further in defeats.
—Andy Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
The filing cites past crashes, including a fatal 2009 FedEx MD-11 crash in Tokyo, and alleges similar design flaws or defects in Boeing’s MD-11 may have caused or contributed to the November 4 crash.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Scientists are natural skeptics, and his first instinct was to look for flaws.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025
Those include serious flaws that could let apps access sensitive data or take screenshots without permission.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Tuesday’s paper builds on previous research pointing out flaws in many AI benchmarks.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
None of the above is nearly enough to compensate for its fundamental flaws, especially considering how crowded with domestic thrillers TV has become.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
There seem to be so many singer-songwriters who have the power and the confidence to tell very female, very personal stories through their music, showing their strengths and flaws.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Jesse Mendez, director of safe parking at Jewish Family Service, the nonprofit overseeing the program, said Mission Valley did have its flaws.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flaws
Noun
-
The filing cites past crashes, including a fatal 2009 FedEx MD-11 crash in Tokyo, and alleges similar design flaws or defects in Boeing’s MD-11 may have caused or contributed to the November 4 crash.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Over 830,000 Peloton Bike+ units have been recalled for seat post defects that can cause falls and injuries.—
Amber Brenza,
Health,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Brain scans revealed the severity of the bleeds and whether patients showed signs of cerebral small vessel disease, a condition that damages tiny blood vessels in the brain and is linked to aging, high blood pressure and dementia.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Long-term, alcohol damages the brain by shrinking white and gray matter, dulling rewards, and overactivating the stress system.—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The scars of that era run deep.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
-
The feeling those two summoned in back-to-back Bulls losses were a product of battle scars accrued through years of learning to seize games.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Deadly holiday weekend mars broad crime drop The back-and-forth followed a Labor Day weekend of deadly violence in Chicago worse than in the previous two years, with seven people shot to death, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Valuing a project at cost of production rather than value in an arm’s length sale—common in all economic statistics—especially mars Chinese data.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Photos show the Maratus australis spider, which has an intricate pattern of blue and brown blotches edged with bright teal and red-orange stripes.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
4 Nov. 2025
-
This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This compromises not only SNAP, but farm programs, food inspection, animal and plant disease protection, rural development, and protecting federal lands.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
-
His condition compromises his warrior mentality and his free-agent market will suffer.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Yet the play’s positive components do not make up for its faults.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Carol is suspicious of the human race's collective new attitude, and sets out trying to figure out how to revert the world back to its old self, faults and all.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
If an animal injures a human or another animal, or has been declared dangerous elsewhere, it can be ordered removed from the city.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Derek gravely injures his hand.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flaws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flaws. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share