Drawback
Drawback noun - A feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success.
Flaw is a synonym for drawback in disadvantage topic. In some cases you can use "Flaw" instead a noun "Drawback", when it comes to topics like shortcoming, fault, defect, inadequacy. popular alternative
Flaw
Flaw noun - Something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing.
Drawback is a synonym for flaw in shortcoming topic. You can use "Drawback" instead a noun "Flaw", if it concerns topics such as fault, defect, inadequacy, negative. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| notable | notable drawback | notable flaw |
| common | common drawback | common flaw |
| critical | critical drawback | critical flaw |
| single | single drawback | single flaw |
| Other adjectives: glaring, obvious, small, actual, real, massive, big, great, serious, huge, little, slight, main, inherent, major, minor, fatal, significant, primary, fundamental, crippling, biggest. | ||
Both words in one sentence
-
There are also some cases where the drawback is just a straight-up Informed Flaw, or negated by a bit of Fridge Brilliance.
Source: Cursed with Awesome -
Informed Flaw: Musashi's kicking is supposed to be peerlessly powerful with the drawback that he's not entirely accurate.
Source: Manga / Eyeshield 21 -
Since a character can only have six quirks of each type, this ironically means an Informed Flaw can be quite valuable since it takes up space that could otherwise contain a genuine flaw, while an Informed Attribute is a drawback.
Source: Videogame / Darkest Dungeon
Cite this Source
Flaw and Drawback. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/drawback/flaw
Drawback & Flaw. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/drawback/flaw>.
Flaw or Drawback. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/drawback/flaw.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "drawback" and "flaw" have occurred on timeline