nonstarter

Meanings

nounnonstarter (plural nonstarters)

A project that has no chance of success.
The problem with the CRFB and CBO ideas is that they would be nonstarters politically.
2024 December 28, Jonathan Nicholson, “Yes, There Are Ways To Cut The Budget Deficit. 'DOGE' Hasn’t Found Them So Far.”, in HuffPost
A horse that does not run in a race for which it has been entered.
A loser; a person who is bound to fail.
But Berg was just a fool, a buffoon, a nonentity, a nonstarter so inept he took naps under bear bair.
1999, Dana Stabenow, Hunter's Moon, →ISBN, page 225

nouna person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently

Similar

failure loserunsuccessful person

Broader

unfortunateunfortunate person

Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Polish pomysł bez szans

Spanish inviabilidad, infactibilidad

Cite this entry

APA

nonstarter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonstarter

MLA

“nonstarter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonstarter. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nonstarter,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonstarter.