as in weaknesses
a defect in character
a wife who never tires of listing her husband's perceived shortcomings
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Recent Examples of shortcomings
Mrie’s memoir is a useful primer, if hardly the last word, on the complexities of the civil war and the shortcomings of the rebel forces.
—
Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
What takes more effort, but delivers far bigger rewards, is learning to regulate your emotions, confront your shortcomings, and sit with uncomfortable truths.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Houston’s shortcomings on offense have been exposed during a three-game losing streak to conference opponents (Iowa State, Arizona and Kansas) that reflects the caliber of competition the Cougars will face in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Delaney and others acknowledge the federal grant-making process had plenty of shortcomings before the DOGE cuts.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
This was a similarly dramatic trip to Italy for Shiffrin, whose Olympic shortcomings had hung over her for nearly a decade.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
That team had chemistry issues and various other shortcomings.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Jagged shards of memory shown in flashbacks suggest Laura’s fear and vulnerability as a young girl (played by the filmmakers’ daughter Eliz Mundruczó), alongside indications of narcissistic, at times violent Ivan’s shortcomings as a parent.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Despite Ukraine’s fate looming over this year’s conference, Rubio made little mention of Russia’s full-scale invasion, citing it only as an example of the United Nations’ shortcomings.
—Nandika Chatterjee, Time, 14 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
What takes more effort, but delivers far bigger rewards, is learning to regulate your emotions, confront your shortcomings, and sit with uncomfortable truths.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Houston’s shortcomings on offense have been exposed during a three-game losing streak to conference opponents (Iowa State, Arizona and Kansas) that reflects the caliber of competition the Cougars will face in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Delaney and others acknowledge the federal grant-making process had plenty of shortcomings before the DOGE cuts.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
This was a similarly dramatic trip to Italy for Shiffrin, whose Olympic shortcomings had hung over her for nearly a decade.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
That team had chemistry issues and various other shortcomings.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Jagged shards of memory shown in flashbacks suggest Laura’s fear and vulnerability as a young girl (played by the filmmakers’ daughter Eliz Mundruczó), alongside indications of narcissistic, at times violent Ivan’s shortcomings as a parent.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Despite Ukraine’s fate looming over this year’s conference, Rubio made little mention of Russia’s full-scale invasion, citing it only as an example of the United Nations’ shortcomings.
—Nandika Chatterjee, Time, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortcomings
Noun
-
Benjamin Sesko’s winner for Manchester United on Monday highlighted some of those weaknesses.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Foes hoping to uncover his weaknesses have ample scouting reports and film on him.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Liberal democratic systems, for all their faults, functioned.—
Jason Burke,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Traditional camping lights that rely on PIR suffer from the same faults that annoy homeowners whose security lights blaze into action at two in the morning when a cat saunters past their garage.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Don’t worry about the sins of the past, mistakes of the past, or background or heritage or whatever.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, the boy’s father, Brendan (Wallace), is all in on the notion, perhaps as a way of atoning for his own past marital sins.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortcomings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortcomings. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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