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

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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

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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 Here’s how the restraining order process is supposed to work — and the pitfalls that prevent many applications from moving forward. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 John Madden‘s Onwards and Sideways succeeds better than most in avoiding the pitfalls. — Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026 Some clubs provide educational workshops to parents on the processes involved and highlighting the potential pitfalls of being caught breaking Premier League and/or FA rules. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Ronson uses Chism’s guilelessness to show how unexpected and profound the pitfalls can be for anyone looking to find a foothold in the new world. — Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026 Dupré has experience receiving public criticism and even gave Alix advice about handling the pitfalls of fame. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026 All parties are aware of the momentum behind Rouy and the pitfalls of being branded a hot young thing. — David Lê, Curbed, 8 Sep. 2026 Bernard, the fabricator of phrases, is the book’s second devotee of metaphor, therefore also the first to beguile the others with the potential and pitfalls of figural language. — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026 Movies tend to work with bold strokes and colors, and absolute ideas; cinema is a popular medium, and both its power and its pitfalls come from its ability to simplify and underline. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitfalls

Noun

The pope, who has made sounding the alarm about the risks of AI a central part of his 16-month papacy, put the issue at the heart of his visit to France.

— Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
What didn’t happen were promises of purchases or agreement on addressing artificial intelligence risks, the war in Iran or taking steps toward resolving other vexing world challenges.

— Kevin Breuninger,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of risks

Noun

The Air Force says this architecture should allow new technologies to be incorporated as threats and requirements change.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026
And then hit a wall, which was the deadline for placing it on the June ballot with other things coming up in Sacramento — real threats to the power of transfer taxes, to the power of our city to have transfer taxes at all.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of threats

Noun

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
The process had a few hitches in it caused by the divorce, but the Swopes showed up regularly at their immigration meetings as scheduled, working through the long process.

— Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch, 12 July 2026

Definition of hitches

Noun

Researchers think this happens because swapping stories about social bonds, unexpected dangers and survival are advantageous for our evolution.

— Hannah Little, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2026
The collapse last week wasn’t the first involving unsafe dwellings in the Gaza Strip, but the high death toll underscored the dangers in a territory where the vast majority of the population lacks adequate shelter.

— Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of dangers

Noun

Their ensuing ascent is defined as much by the tensions between backgrounds, classes and competing ambitions as by the perils of the mountain itself.

— Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
Corus Entertainment Gossling knows the perils and profits of traditional pay TV and has positioned the Canadian broadcast giant to revamp its business model for the streaming age.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 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 26 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pitfalls

noun

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