failure
English · Thesaurus
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failure
- /ˈfeɪ.ljə/ UK
- /ˈfeɪl.jəɹ/ Canada, US
Where it comes from
From Anglo-Norman failer, from Old French faillir (“to fail”). Equivalent to fail + -ure.
noun failures
- State 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.
- A condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life. heart failure
- Omission to do something, whether or not it was attempted, especially something that ought to have been done.
- An object, person or endeavour in a state of failure, has failed at something or incapable of success.
- Termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function; breakdown. 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.
- Bankruptcy.
Similar: fail, dud, failing, insufficiency · Opposite: success, triumph
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: loser, nonstarter, unsuccessful person, failed, insufficient, lack, shortcoming, insufficiency, deficiency, inadequate, deficit, invalidity, inadequacy, neglect, dereliction, underreporting
Translations
Every language
noun state or condition opposite of success
| Español | fallo, fracaso, cate |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 실패 silpae |
| 日本語 | 失敗 shippai |
| 中文 | 失敗 /失败 shībài |
| हिन्दी | असफलता asphaltā, विफलता viphaltā |
| Kiswahili | ushinde |
| Português | falha, fracasso, falhanço |
| Français | échec |
| Deutsch | Misserfolg, Ausfall, Verschlechterung, Misslingen, Versagen, Fehlschlag |
| Italiano | fallimento, insuccesso, avaria, fiasco |
| Ελληνικά | αποτυχία apotychía |
| Română | eșec |
| Русский | прова́л provál, крах krax, неуда́ча neudáča, неуспе́х neuspéx |
| Tiếng Việt | thất bại |
| العربية | فَشَل fašal, إِخْفَاق ʔiḵfāq |
| עברית | כישלון \ כִּשָּׁלוֹן kishalón |
noun (pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life
| Português | insuficiência, falência |
|---|---|
| Français | insuffisance |
| Ελληνικά | ανεπάρκεια anepárkeia |
| العربية | فَشَل fašal, قُصُور quṣūr |
noun object or person incapable of success
| Español | fracasado, fracaso |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 失敗作 shippaisaku |
| Português | fracassado |
| Français | daube, flop, navet, raté |
| Deutsch | Versager, Versagerin, Niete |
| Italiano | fiasco |
| Русский | фиа́ско fiásko, неуда́чник neudáčnik, прова́л provál |
| العربية | فَشَل fašal |
noun termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function
| Español | avería, falla |
|---|---|
| Português | falha |
| Français | panne |
| Deutsch | Pleite, Versagen, Ausfall, Panne |
| Italiano | disfunzione, insufficienza, gusto |
| Русский | поло́мка polómka, вы́ход из стро́я výxod iz strója, сбой sboj, отка́з otkáz |
| العربية | عُطْل ʕuṭl |
Talk about this word "failure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/failure. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. failure. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/failure "failure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/failure.Cite this
@misc{failure_2026,
title = {failure},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/failure},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
