1
as in disadvantage
a feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success
though his small size is a liability as a football player, he makes up for it with speed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in responsibility
the state of being held as the cause of something that needs to be set right
the liability for the accident is held by the person who was driving too fast
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in exposure
the state of being left without shelter or protection against something harmful
failure to properly clean the wound could increase your liability to infection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in likelihood
the quality or state of being likely to occur
what's the liability that he'll file a formal complaint if he's refused admission?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in debt
usually liabilities plural
something (as money) which is owed
your liabilities total about $200,000
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 liability
Adell was considered a defensive liability early in his career and was saddled with a four-base error in 2020 when a fly ball hit his glove and went over the fence.
—
Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
To be fair, Newsom’s plan would also limit state corporate tax credits to $5 million, as my colleague Taryn Luna points out, or 50% of a firm’s tax liability, whichever is greater.
—Anita Chabria, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Clarkson now is showing his value hustling for 50-50 balls while no longer being a liability on defense — a trait that’s followed him throughout his career.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
There is more to being responsible than accepting legal liability, but accepting legal liability is a requirement for an adult in society.
—Ted Chiang, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for liability
Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
To be fair, Newsom’s plan would also limit state corporate tax credits to $5 million, as my colleague Taryn Luna points out, or 50% of a firm’s tax liability, whichever is greater.
—Anita Chabria, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Clarkson now is showing his value hustling for 50-50 balls while no longer being a liability on defense — a trait that’s followed him throughout his career.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
There is more to being responsible than accepting legal liability, but accepting legal liability is a requirement for an adult in society.
—Ted Chiang, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for liability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liability
Noun
-
The conclusion for Gen Z is that they have been handed a giant disadvantage, with no mentoring in the remote-work era to plug the gap.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
Former Iowa party chair Scott Brennan argued in his pitch that Republicans in his state are guaranteed to hold their contest first no matter what, putting Democratic candidates across the state at a broad disadvantage.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
People see you as sensible and ready to assume the responsibilities of the position.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
2 June 2026
-
And every morning, thousands of CPS educators walk into those same buildings carrying an enormous responsibility that too often goes unrecognized.—
Susana A. Mendoza,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
The immediate illness known as Teflon flu is usually short-term, but PFAS exposure is part of a larger health debate.—
Ryan Brennan
June 2,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
-
Murphy noted that the upside call skew has moved sharply higher across Nvidia, Broadcom, Invesco QQQ Trust, VanEck Semiconductor ETF and the broader top-50 S & P component universe, with prime-book momentum exposure at record highs while large-cap tech positioning is near the 95th percentile.—
Justina Lee,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
There remain many risks on the horizon that could hurt the stock market, including the likelihood that the Federal Reserve could hike this year.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
-
As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Retail giants and small firms alike say refunds are crucial for cutting prices, paying debts and staying afloat, even as many complain that payments are arriving painfully slowly.—
Mae Anderson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Sixty-five percent of Americans with a negative net worth (more debt than assets) reported experiencing financial anxiety.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Did my week with Luigi at Manele up my game and lower my handicap?—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2026
-
Of course, blame Dad for any handicaps.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Instead, sources say, Netanyahu lays the blame at the feet of the US negotiators – Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff – for steering the president toward an end to the hostilities.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
-
Gorman’s death quickly became a lightning rod in the polarizing discourse over immigration policy, as national and local conservative politicians placed blame on the state’s sanctuary laws.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
In cyberspeak, greenfield attack surfaces are potential vulnerabilities that arise from deploying brand-new technology.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
Now, Vision Media, a screening company that handles awards promotion for studios like Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix and Paramount, is investigating whether the leak can be traced back to security vulnerabilities in its platform.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Liability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liability. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
