as in weakness
a defect in character
a wife who never tires of listing her husband's perceived shortcomings
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Recent Examples of shortcoming
At the time, Walt’s insight addressed a shortcoming in conventional wisdom, which stipulated that a balance of power was the default tendency in world politics.
—
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
The shortcomings of remote learning are by now well documented.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Containing outdated figures and making no mention of the Esparto incident, the Cal Fire workload analysis shows the agency was fully aware of its regulatory shortcomings in the year leading up to the disaster.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Fortunately, the charisma of the show's stars – such as Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, and Dominic Purcell – work overtime to compensate for the noticeable shortcomings, keeping the viewers invested in what's on screen even as the series stumbles through an initial and very public identity crisis.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortcoming
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
The shortcomings of remote learning are by now well documented.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Containing outdated figures and making no mention of the Esparto incident, the Cal Fire workload analysis shows the agency was fully aware of its regulatory shortcomings in the year leading up to the disaster.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Fortunately, the charisma of the show's stars – such as Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, and Dominic Purcell – work overtime to compensate for the noticeable shortcomings, keeping the viewers invested in what's on screen even as the series stumbles through an initial and very public identity crisis.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortcoming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortcoming
Noun
-
Together, the cases highlight weaknesses in an industry that has long struggled to balance nutritional innovation with safety.—
Jillian Deutsch,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
-
In signing Díaz and Tucker, Los Angeles addressed two areas of weakness by throwing money at the top option on the market.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the shop, Mu Hee asks why Uncle and Aunt hate her so much despite it not being her fault.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Williams teams up with Trevor Slattery (Kingsley), an actor (and former terrorist, although that part wasn’t his fault) trying to make a comeback but who has an agenda of his own.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
What damages a human being is sin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Natan Sharanksy sat in prison in 1983 for the sin of requesting to emigrate from the Soviet Union to Israel.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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However, the creditor cannot seek a deficiency judgment if the asset sale does not fully satisfy the debt ― this is because the debt has been discharged.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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People who spend a lot of time indoors or have dark skin are at risk for vitamin D deficiency.—
Mark Stibich,
Verywell Health,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This is something Director Smith said many of the failings of the First Step Act was because of the prior administrations misallocation of funding under the program.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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This is not a failing of the principles of liberalism, however, but a failure of those entrusted to act in its name.—
Philip Mullins,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortcoming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortcoming. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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