Flaws

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Imperfections or defects found within a person, item, or process that reduce their overall effectiveness or quality
2. Shortcomings and mistakes that compromise the value, integrity, or functionality of an individual, object, or system
3. Marks or faults that make something less perfect or effective

Etymology: The plural here is simple enough: "flaws" is just "flaw" with the usual -s, so the real story is the noun itself. Its earliest English sense was physical. Middle English "flawe" or "flay" meant a flake of fire or snow, a spark, or a splinter, and it likely came from Old Norse "flaga," meaning a flag or slab of stone, or a flake. Those northern roots connect it to a family of Germanic words for flakes and layers, including Old English "flōh," a fragment or piece. The sense of a crack or chip in an object came later and grew out of that idea of a broken-off piece. A stone or plate with a flake knocked out of it was flawed, and from there the word extended to any break or weakness in a thing. Only after that did it move from physical objects to people, plans and processes, which gives us the modern sense of a shortcoming that lowers quality.

Synonyms: defects, imperfections, shortcomings

Antonyms: perfections, strengths