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
Mattison was excited about the possibility of helping the Dolphins solve their short-yardage shortcomings, a problem that had bedeviled them the previous two seasons.
—
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
But finding a way to reimagine a roster to account for his strengths and shortcomings is a major undertaking and the list of realistic suitors is limited even before considering scheme and depth-chart implications.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Advertisement The shortcomings of the Benedict-Sophie Cinderella story might have been easier to overlook if the side plots felt more vital and less redundant.
—Judy Berman, Time, 29 Jan. 2026
The show follows a group of therapists, with one of them being Jimmy (Segel, 46), who is grieving the unexpected death of his wife, while Paul manages his Parkinson's and the third, Gaby (Jessica Williams), navigates her own issues, from romantic shortcomings to workplace competition.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
In an essay from 1927, the American composer Henry Cowell identified certain shortcomings of Western musical notation.
—Olivia Giovetti, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Painfully aware of his shortcomings, Wallace would have been horrified by his own subsequent beatification.
—Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Hollyland says the Lyra directly addresses these shortcomings with three major technological breakthroughs that set a new benchmark for high-performance webcams at a sensible price point.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The four Democratic members of the JBC, which controls the state budget, asked with growing consternation why the Department of Corrections hadn’t brought them a plan to address overcrowding, to step up releases of old and infirm inmates, or to improve its own shortcomings.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
But finding a way to reimagine a roster to account for his strengths and shortcomings is a major undertaking and the list of realistic suitors is limited even before considering scheme and depth-chart implications.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Advertisement The shortcomings of the Benedict-Sophie Cinderella story might have been easier to overlook if the side plots felt more vital and less redundant.
—Judy Berman, Time, 29 Jan. 2026
The show follows a group of therapists, with one of them being Jimmy (Segel, 46), who is grieving the unexpected death of his wife, while Paul manages his Parkinson's and the third, Gaby (Jessica Williams), navigates her own issues, from romantic shortcomings to workplace competition.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
In an essay from 1927, the American composer Henry Cowell identified certain shortcomings of Western musical notation.
—Olivia Giovetti, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Painfully aware of his shortcomings, Wallace would have been horrified by his own subsequent beatification.
—Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Hollyland says the Lyra directly addresses these shortcomings with three major technological breakthroughs that set a new benchmark for high-performance webcams at a sensible price point.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The four Democratic members of the JBC, which controls the state budget, asked with growing consternation why the Department of Corrections hadn’t brought them a plan to address overcrowding, to step up releases of old and infirm inmates, or to improve its own shortcomings.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortcomings
Noun
-
The board spent months sizing up strengths and weaknesses of external and internal candidates.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The salt, slush, and cold weather of winter often reveal weaknesses in your home cleaning routine, and the bathroom is often the first place those cracks appear.—
Katie Cloyd,
Martha Stewart,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
These mini-seismic events are not considered true earthquakes because there is no movement along faults or tectonic plate boundaries.—
Tammie Souza,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
-
When the tectonic plates began to pull apart millions of years later, those ancient faults at their edges reawakened, reincarnated as transform faults.—
Evan Howell,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most of the revelations in the files have not revealed journalistic sins, but have highlighted uncomfortably close relationships with New York media figures and a man who had been convicted of soliciting a minor.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Yasmin, meanwhile, is still haunted by the sins of her father—a figure reminiscent of Robert Maxwell—yet seemingly doomed to enable the same kinds of offenses.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortcomings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortcomings. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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