shortcoming
Americannoun
-
shortcomings
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of shortcoming
Explanation
The flaw in something is its shortcoming — your car's only shortcoming might be its lack of a sunroof, for example. Use the noun shortcoming when you talk about the way something — or someone — comes up short. Your boss's shortcoming could be her high expectations, and your job's shortcomings might be having to deal with your boss and not earning much money. The root of shortcoming is the phrase "to come short," which was used starting in the 1600's to mean "to be inadequate."
Vocabulary lists containing shortcoming
This Week In Words: October 19–25, 2019
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The War That Saved My Life
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The Wrong Way Home
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A reporting system that was originally designed to address intentional physical abuse now encourages people to report any perceived shortcoming in the care of children.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
But spokesman Pitambar Ghimire admitted that "our only shortcoming is proper implementation".
From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026
Mr. Slaughter’s reliance on the Sewards’ correspondence over vigorous narrative is both the book’s strength and its shortcoming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
These voices insist that it isn’t “real cooking” unless everything is homemade, that shortcuts signify failure, and that feeding yourself—or others—this way reflects some deeper shortcoming.
From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2026
The big-bang theory was born Yet scientists were aware that the big-bang theory suffered from a significant shortcoming.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Nonetheless, the country has repeatedly sought to address its shortcomings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
The results suggest that combining pollen from different plants and then processing it through nurse bees may allow honeybee colonies to compensate for the nutritional shortcomings of individual pollen sources.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
Nevertheless, the Chelsea manager is getting what he wants: experience and strong personalities to address shortcomings that contributed to the team's 10th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
That is the last we see or hear of that dirty business, which might as well be a visual metaphor for this docuseries’ shortcomings.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
And Andrew had nothing but love for that man, despite his shortcomings.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
