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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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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Example Sentences

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 To avoid the pitfalls of apps like Tinder and Hinge—where women are vastly outnumbered by men and are therefore overwhelmed by choice while men receive very few matches—FirstDate uses a Nobel Prize-winning matching theory algorithm. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026 Hastert was aware of the personal pitfalls of holding the powerful position. — Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026 Wikimedia, however, believes that accepting the pitfalls isn’t enough and that OpenAI must monitor and prevent these security incidents. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026 Caputo vowed to prevent such pitfalls, with intelligence and financial oversight agencies helping to vet applicants’ identities, criminal records and sources of funds. — Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Recognizing these pitfalls early can help leaders steer their organizations through uncertainty without sacrificing future stability. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 The most gratifying facet of being an agent was guiding gifted artists through the maze of potential opportunities and pitfalls that constitute careers in Hollywood. — Rick Nicita, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 That’s a rapid journey that can come with pitfalls – many young stars have been put on a pedestal and failed to deliver on that promise. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026 This unique combination maintains all-to-all connectivity while minimizing the typical pitfalls of atom movement, including error accumulation, atom loss, and runtime delays. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitfalls

Noun

The risks can be even greater if storm surge combines with high tide, which could quickly create a catastrophic rise in water levels.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
While long-term remediation may require substantial investment and specialist expertise, immediate interventions can reduce risks while more complex work is being completed.

— Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of risks

Noun

That family history does bring with it a high level of determination to continue despite the losses and the constant threats of more attacks.

— Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
His reward — and part of the backlash, on top of death threats — was being physically assaulted outside the Capitol in Sacramento and spattered with blood thrown from the gallery.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 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

Policymakers are aware of the dangers of overreliance on Chinese supply chains.

— Scott Singer, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2026
In Flanagan‘s take, Margaret is fiercely committed to shielding Carrie from the world’s dangers and from her classmates’ cruelty, even becoming a parental advocate in their community and on social media.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of dangers

Noun

Love Days gets inside the head of the disembodied, Medusa-like woman who uses her work to escape the perils of her own subjectivity.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Many in the industry pointed to that hack as an example of the perils of the rapid pace of AI developments and capabilities.

— Max Saltman, CNN Money, 23 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of pitfalls

noun

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