When we say that something "falls short," we mean that it does not meet our expectations or the desired standard. There are many synonyms for this phrase such as deficient, lacking, inadequate, incomplete, insufficient, insufficiently, wanting, substandard, insufficiently good, below par, below standard. These words can help us express our disappointment or dissatisfaction in a more precise way. For example, we can say that a product is incomplete if it lacks some important features. We can describe someone's performance as substandard if they are not meeting the expected level. By using these synonyms, we can communicate our expectations more effectively and convey a clearer message.