Meanings
nounfailure (countable and uncountable, plural failures)
plural failures
- countableuncountableState or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
For Liverpool, their season will now be regarded as a relative disappointment after failure to add the FA Cup to the Carling Cup and not mounting a challenge to reach the Champions League places.
2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport2 more examples
Sarkozy's total will be seen as a personal failure. It is the first time an outgoing president has failed to win a first-round vote in the past 50 years and makes it harder for Sarkozy to regain momentum.
2012 April 23, Angelique Chrisafis, “François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election”, in the GuardianWhat exactly is a "successful failure" in rocket science? A so-called "successful failure" is one where important lessons can be gleaned for future tests and where the risks of harm are low, experts say.
2023 April 21, Li Zhou, “Why SpaceX doesn't see its rocket explosion as a failure. Experts also viewed the test as a valuable way to see what works — and what doesn't.”, in Vox, retrieved 22 Apr 2023 - countableuncountableOmission to do something, whether or not it was attempted, especially something that ought to have been done.
- countableuncountableTermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function; breakdown.
But as with individual train failures you have to tackle every one as it arises and assume it will happen again, which it will, if you don't do something about it.
2019 October, Ian Walmsley, “Cleaning up”, in Modern Railways, page 421 more example
Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. When a series of bank failures made this impossible, there was widespread anger, leading to the public humiliation of symbolic figures.
2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21 - countableuncountableBankruptcy.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn object, person or endeavour in a state of failure, has failed at something or incapable of success.
Similar
Narrower
More synonyms by meaning
nounan event that does not accomplish its intended purpose
Opposite
Broader
nouna person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently
Similar
Broader
unfortunateunfortunate person
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchfaillir“to fail”
- Anglo-Normanfailer
- Englishfailure
From Anglo-Norman failer, from Old French faillir (“to fail”). Equivalent to fail + -ure.
More words from Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀποτυχία, ἀστόχημα
- ἀποτυχία (apotukhía)state or condition opposite of success
- ἀστόχημα (astókhēma)state or condition opposite of success
- ἀστοχία (astokhía)state or condition opposite of success
Arabic فَشَل, قُصُور
- فَشَل (fašal)(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- قُصُور (quṣūr)(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- فَشَل (fašal)object or person incapable of success
- عُطْل (ʕuṭl)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- فَشَل (fašal)state or condition opposite of success
- إِخْفَاق (ʔiḵfāq)state or condition opposite of success
Basque porrot
- porrotstate or condition opposite of success
Bulgarian неуда́чник, прова́л
- неуда́чник (neudáčnik)object or person incapable of success
- прова́л (provál)object or person incapable of success
- повре́да (povréda)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- неуспе́х (neuspéh)state or condition opposite of success
- несполу́ка (nespolúka)state or condition opposite of success
Catalan fracàs, fallida
- fracàstermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- fallidastate or condition opposite of success
- fracàs (hispanism)state or condition opposite of success
Chinese Mandarin 失敗 /失败
- 失敗 /失败 (shībài)state or condition opposite of success
Czech porucha, nezdar
- poruchatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- nezdarstate or condition opposite of success
- neúspěchstate or condition opposite of success
- selhánístate or condition opposite of success
Danish nedbrud, svigt
- nedbrudtermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- svigttermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- fiaskostate or condition opposite of success
Dutch mislukkeling, mislukking
- mislukkelingobject or person incapable of success
- mislukkingobject or person incapable of success
- mislukkingtermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- mislukkingstate or condition opposite of success
- falingstate or condition opposite of success
- foutstate or condition opposite of success
Esperanto fuŝaĵo, malsukceso
- fuŝaĵoobject or person incapable of success
- malsukcesostate or condition opposite of success
- fiaskostate or condition opposite of success
Estonian ebaõnnestumine
- ebaõnnestuminestate or condition opposite of success
Finnish vaurio, pysähdys
- vaurio(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- pysähdys(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- romuobject or person incapable of success
- susiobject or person incapable of success
- epäonnistujaobject or person incapable of success
- tunariobject or person incapable of success
- toheloobject or person incapable of success
- luuseriobject or person incapable of success
- vikatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- kaatuminentermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- häiriötermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- toimintahäiriötermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
French insuffisance, daube
- insuffisance(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- daubeobject or person incapable of success
- flopobject or person incapable of success
- navetobject or person incapable of success
- ratéobject or person incapable of success
- pannetermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- échecstate or condition opposite of success
German Versager, Versagerin
- Versagerobject or person incapable of success
- Versagerinobject or person incapable of success
- Nieteobject or person incapable of success
- Pleitetermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- Versagentermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- Ausfalltermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- Pannetermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- Misserfolgstate or condition opposite of success
- Ausfallstate or condition opposite of success
- Verschlechterungstate or condition opposite of success
- Misslingenstate or condition opposite of success
- Versagenstate or condition opposite of success
Greek ανεπάρκεια, αποτυχία
- ανεπάρκεια (anepárkeia)(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- αποτυχία (apotychía)state or condition opposite of success
Hebrew כישלון \ כִּשָּׁלוֹן
- כישלון \ כִּשָּׁלוֹן (kishalón)state or condition opposite of success
Hindi असफलता, विफलता
- असफलता (asphaltā)state or condition opposite of success
- विफलता (viphaltā)state or condition opposite of success
Hungarian sikertelen, pályatévesztett
- sikertelenobject or person incapable of success
- pályatévesztettobject or person incapable of success
- tehetségtelenobject or person incapable of success
- csődtömegobject or person incapable of success
- meghibásodástermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- üzemzavartermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- elakadástermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- kudarcstate or condition opposite of success
- bukásstate or condition opposite of success
- felsülésstate or condition opposite of success
- fiaskóstate or condition opposite of success
Indonesian pecundang, bedebah
- pecundangobject or person incapable of success
- bedebahobject or person incapable of success
- gagalstate or condition opposite of success
- kegagalanstate or condition opposite of success
Irish meath, meathlú
- meathtermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- meathlútermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- meathstate or condition opposite of success
- cliseadhstate or condition opposite of success
Italian fiasco, disfunzione
- fiascoobject or person incapable of success
- disfunzionetermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- insufficienzatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- gustotermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- fallimentostate or condition opposite of success
- insuccessostate or condition opposite of success
- avariastate or condition opposite of success
- fiascostate or condition opposite of success
Japanese 失敗作, 失敗
- 失敗作 (shippaisaku)object or person incapable of success
- 失敗 (shippai)state or condition opposite of success
Korean 실패
- 실패 (silpae)state or condition opposite of success
Latin dēliquium, dēfectiō
- dēliquiumstate or condition opposite of success
- dēfectiōstate or condition opposite of success
Latvian neveiksme, neizdošanās
- neveiksmeobject or person incapable of success
- neizdošanāsstate or condition opposite of success
- neveiksmestate or condition opposite of success
Lithuanian nepasisekimas
- nepasisekimasstate or condition opposite of success
Malay kegagalan
- kegagalanstate or condition opposite of success
Māori mūhoretanga
- mūhoretangastate or condition opposite of success
Norwegian Bokmål svikt, fiasko
- svikttermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- fiaskostate or condition opposite of success
- misærestate or condition opposite of success
Polish niewydolność, nieudacznik
- niewydolność(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- nieudacznikobject or person incapable of success
- brakobject or person incapable of success
- awariatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- defekttermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- usterkatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- niepowodzeniestate or condition opposite of success
- porażkastate or condition opposite of success
- nieudacznictwostate or condition opposite of success
Portuguese insuficiência, falência
- insuficiência(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- falência(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- fracassadoobject or person incapable of success
- falhatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- falhastate or condition opposite of success
- fracassostate or condition opposite of success
- falhançostate or condition opposite of success
Romanian eșec
- eșecstate or condition opposite of success
Russian фиа́ско, неуда́чник
- фиа́ско (fiásko)object or person incapable of success
- неуда́чник (neudáčnik)object or person incapable of success
- прова́л (provál)object or person incapable of success
- поло́мка (polómka)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- вы́ход из стро́я (výxod iz strója)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- сбой (sboj)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- отка́з (otkáz)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- прова́л (provál)state or condition opposite of success
- крах (krax)state or condition opposite of success
- неуда́ча (neudáča)state or condition opposite of success
- неуспе́х (neuspéx)state or condition opposite of success
Scottish Gaelic fàilligeadh, fàilligeadh
- fàilligeadhtermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- fàilligeadhstate or condition opposite of success
Slovak porucha, nezdar
- poruchatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- nezdarstate or condition opposite of success
- krachstate or condition opposite of success
- neúspechstate or condition opposite of success
Spanish fracasado, fracaso
- fracasadoobject or person incapable of success
- fracasoobject or person incapable of success
- averíatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- fallatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- fallostate or condition opposite of success
- fracasostate or condition opposite of success
- catestate or condition opposite of success
Swahili ushinde
- ushindestate or condition opposite of success
Swedish misslyckande
- misslyckandestate or condition opposite of success
Tagalog pagkabigo
- pagkabigostate or condition opposite of success
Tamil செயலிழப்பு, செயலிழப்பு
- செயலிழப்பு (ceyaliḻappu)(pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
- செயலிழப்பு (ceyaliḻappu)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- தோல்வி (tōlvi)state or condition opposite of success
Turkish arıza, başarısızlık
- arızatermination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- başarısızlıkstate or condition opposite of success
Ukrainian збій, поло́мка
- збій (zbij)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- поло́мка (polómka)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- пошко́дження (poškódžennja)termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
- крах (krax)state or condition opposite of success
- прова́л (provál)state or condition opposite of success
- невда́ча (nevdáča)state or condition opposite of success
Vietnamese thất bại
- thất bạistate or condition opposite of success
Cite this entry
APA
failure. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/failure
MLA
“failure.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/failure. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “failure,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/failure.
Source: failure on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.