PITFALLS Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

pitfalls

noun

plural of pitfall

as in risks

a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized buying a house can be full of pitfalls for the unwary

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in threats

something that may cause injury or harm one of the pitfalls of ignorance is that people will also assume you're stupid

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 pitfalls Mosselli and Meier had agreed to what is called a merchant cash advance, commonly called MCAs, and their circumstances offer a cautionary — and in their case, crushing example of potential pitfalls of this financial tool. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 Amazon has already grappled with the pitfalls of encouraging AI use for its own sake. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026 That doesn’t mean, however, that the show’s creator and stars have been able to avoid the same pitfalls as their characters. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 My parents were always a bit concerned about nightlife, drugs, all the pitfalls of what the nightlife could be. — Katie Bain, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2026 Later, when asked about pitfalls in his career, Goodman returned to the topic. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2026 As African industry professionals convened at this year’s Durban FilmMart, both the potential and pitfalls of artificial intelligence were high on the agenda. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 Hastert was aware of the personal pitfalls of holding the powerful position. — Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026 Wikimedia, however, believes that accepting the pitfalls isn’t enough and that OpenAI must monitor and prevent these security incidents. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitfalls

Noun

After the time change in November, however, those risks are lower.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2026
Strategic reserves of munitions, fuel, electronics, critical minerals To address these risks, FORTRESS calls for strategic reserves of munitions, fuel, electronics, critical minerals, medical supplies and spare parts.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of risks

Noun

Neither seems ready to compromise at a time when Poland faces growing security threats – with the war across the border in Ukraine, and sabotage attacks inside Poland that Tusk has attributed to Russia.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Fiscal threats from Washington are putting our financial future at risk.

— Ryder Kessler, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of threats

Noun

Some games entirely errored out, some had hitches, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips were targeting relatively low-end gaming to begin with.

— Sean Hollister, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026
That type of physicality can come in handy on plays like quick hitches, screens, drags run over the middle of the field.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of hitches

Noun

Also as is custom, adults will fret about the mostly mythical dangers children may face.

— Muizz Akhtar, Vox, 30 Oct. 2026
The killing underscores the dangers facing Mexican local leaders who challenge cartels, as President Claudia Sheinbaum faces pressure to confront organized crime and corruption.

— Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of dangers

Noun

New Denim had a tighter weave to resist snags and tears and was stronger and more durable than other denim, yet still pliable and comfortable.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026
Efforts to move the games to larger area venues, such as Gas South Arena (around 13,000 seats) and Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion (8,600 seats), have hit snags, according to USA Today.

— Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of snags

Noun

Iñárritu and screen writer Guillermo Arriaga involve six families, most of them not known to one another, in four countries on three continents in their story of random fate and the perils of being unable to communicate.

— Ray Bennett, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2026
Here’s a story from 2020 about his father discussing the perils of the college recruiting process.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of perils

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pitfall

pitfalls

pith

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“Pitfalls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitfalls. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of pitfalls

noun

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