pitfalls

5 synonyms for pitfalls, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — Hidden or unexpected difficulties that catch people out, especially ones that are easy to walk into if you are not warned.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

traps hazards

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

snares drawbacks stumbling blocks

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

Hidden or unexpected difficulties that catch people out, especially ones that are easy to walk into if you are not warned.

“The guide lists the common pitfalls of buying a first home.”

traps hazards snares drawbacks stumbling blocks

2. noun

Concealed pits dug in the ground to trap animals or people.

“The hunters lined the trail with covered pitfalls.”

traps snares

How to use pitfalls

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

common pitfalls avoid the pitfalls potential pitfalls pitfalls to watch out for

Neutral. Very common in advice, guides and business writing, usually in the plural.

Etymology

From Middle English pit + fall, originally a concealed pit dug as a trap for animals; the figurative sense of a hidden danger followed.

Full origin of pitfalls →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a pitfall and a drawback?

A drawback is a disadvantage you can see in advance and weigh up. A pitfall is a danger that is concealed, so people fall into it without realising it was there. Every pitfall is a problem, but not every problem is hidden.

Is "pitfalls" always plural?

No, the singular pitfall is perfectly correct, but the plural is far more common because the word usually appears in lists of things to avoid, as in "common pitfalls".

People also searched

traps hazards

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of pitfalls