Dictionary

failure en · NOUN

Pronunciation

(Canada) audio
/ˈfeɪ.ljəɹ/ (Canada, General-American)
/ˈfeɪ.ljə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman failer, from Old French faillir (“to fail”). Equivalent to fail + -ure.

Meanings

(countable, uncountable) State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
- What 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:
- 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 Sport:
- 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 Guardian:
(countable, uncountable) State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success. ▸ A condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life.
- congestive heart failure
- liver failure
- kidney failure
- heart failure
(countable, uncountable) Omission to do something, whether or not it was attempted, especially something that ought to have been done.
(countable, uncountable) An object, person or endeavour in a state of failure, has failed at something or incapable of success.
(countable, uncountable) 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. 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
- 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 42:
(countable, uncountable) Bankruptcy.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
failures	Number=Plur		lexicographic

Antonyms

success (antonym(s) of “state or condition”) · triumph (antonym(s) of “state or condition”)

Deriveds

congestive cardiac failure · acute kidney failure · single point of failure · girlfailure · postfailure · mean time to failure · nonfailure · tree failure · microfailure · failure drill · failureless · failure rate · acute renal failure · failureproof · failure is the best teacher · failure to prepare is preparing to fail · mean distance between failure · government failure

Hyponyms

single-point failure · failure to launch · structural failure · fiasco · failure to thrive · market failure · power failure · dam failure · ground failure

fail · fail-fast · fail-stop · fail-safe

Synonyms

loser (person incapable of success) · fail (opposite of success) · dud (opposite of success) · dud (person incapable of success) · insufficiency · failing (opposite of success)

Translations (206)

it fallimento (state or condition opposite of success) · ga meathlú (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · ar فَشَل (state or condition opposite of success) · pl nieudacznictwo (state or condition opposite of success) · hu fiaskó (state or condition opposite of success) · ru прова́л (object or person incapable of success) · hi विफलता (state or condition opposite of success) · grc ἀστόχημα (state or condition opposite of success) · hu felsülés (state or condition opposite of success) · mk неуспех (state or condition opposite of success) · cs selhání (state or condition opposite of success) · fr daube (object or person incapable of success) · km កំហក (state or condition opposite of success) · lv neizdošanās (state or condition opposite of success) · da nedbrud (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · ga meath (state or condition opposite of success) · ca fallida (state or condition opposite of success) · nn svikt (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · de Ausfall (state or condition opposite of success) · it disfunzione (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · bg прова́л (object or person incapable of success) · fr flop (object or person incapable of success) · sq dështim (state or condition opposite of success) · bg неуда́чник (object or person incapable of success) · pl usterka (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · ar فَشَل (object or person incapable of success) · eo fuŝaĵo (object or person incapable of success) · de Ausfall (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · hu tehetségtelen (object or person incapable of success) · sh nȅuspeh (state or condition opposite of success) · hu csődtömeg (object or person incapable of success) · pt falha (state or condition opposite of success) · uk прова́л (state or condition opposite of success) · gd fàilligeadh (state or condition opposite of success) · chr ᎤᏄᎸᎲᏍᎩ (state or condition opposite of success) · it fiasco (object or person incapable of success) · de Fehlschlag (state or condition opposite of success) · fi tyriminen (state or condition opposite of success) · ru поло́мка (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · el ανεπάρκεια ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life) · fi tohelo (object or person incapable of success) · cmn 失敗 /失败 (state or condition opposite of success) · nb fiasko (state or condition opposite of success) · tr başarısızlık (state or condition opposite of success) · eu porrot (state or condition opposite of success) · nl faling (state or condition opposite of success) · uk пошко́дження (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · eo fiasko (state or condition opposite of success) · fr échec (state or condition opposite of success) · ru неуспе́х (state or condition opposite of success) · hu üzemzavar (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · id bedebah (object or person incapable of success) · ro eșec (state or condition opposite of success) · fi vika (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · fi toimintahäiriö (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · uk крах (state or condition opposite of success) · vi thất bại (state or condition opposite of success) · sa असिद्धि (state or condition opposite of success) · fr insuffisance ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life) · pt falhanço (state or condition opposite of success) · uk поло́мка (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · es fallo (state or condition opposite of success) · fi tunari (object or person incapable of success) · fi tunarointi (state or condition opposite of success) · it insuccesso (state or condition opposite of success) · he כישלון \ כִּשָּׁלוֹן (state or condition opposite of success) · lv neveiksme (object or person incapable of success) · kk сәтсіздік (state or condition opposite of success) · nl mislukking (object or person incapable of success) · nl mislukking (state or condition opposite of success) · pl brak (object or person incapable of success) · sl neuspeh (state or condition opposite of success) · gd fàilligeadh (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · ga cliseadh (state or condition opposite of success) · lt nepasisekimas (state or condition opposite of success) · id kegagalan (state or condition opposite of success) · fi romu (object or person incapable of success) · es fracasado (object or person incapable of success) · ru неуда́чник (object or person incapable of success) · fi susi (object or person incapable of success) · ta செயலிழப்பு ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life) · tr arıza (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · sk nezdar (state or condition opposite of success) · ru прова́л (state or condition opposite of success) · km រិត្ត (state or condition opposite of success) · de Panne (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · pl niepowodzenie (state or condition opposite of success) · ru фиа́ско (object or person incapable of success) · pt fracassado (object or person incapable of success) · nl mislukkeling (object or person incapable of success) · ca fracàs (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · es avería (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · de Versagen (state or condition opposite of success) · pl awaria (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · sk krach (state or condition opposite of success) · cs nezdar (state or condition opposite of success) · ca fracàs (hispanism) (state or condition opposite of success) · be няўда́ча (state or condition opposite of success) · cs porucha (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · hu pályatévesztett (object or person incapable of success) · nl fout (state or condition opposite of success) · es fracaso (object or person incapable of success) · sk porucha (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · te వైఫల్యం (state or condition opposite of success) · tl pagkabigo (state or condition opposite of success) · pl nieudacznik (object or person incapable of success) · it gusto (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · hy ձախողում (state or condition opposite of success) · bg неуспе́х (state or condition opposite of success) · sh nȅuspjeh (state or condition opposite of success) · km ចំណាញ់ (state or condition opposite of success) · el αποτυχία (state or condition opposite of success) · fi töppäys (state or condition opposite of success) · fi luuseri (object or person incapable of success) · fi vaurio ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life) · ja 失敗作 (object or person incapable of success) · ko 실패 (state or condition opposite of success) · fr panne (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · nb misære (state or condition opposite of success) · cs neúspěch (state or condition opposite of success) · hu sikertelen (object or person incapable of success) · mi mūhoretanga (state or condition opposite of success) · hu bukás (state or condition opposite of success) · ru неуда́ча (state or condition opposite of success) · et ebaõnnestumine (state or condition opposite of success) · id gagal (state or condition opposite of success) · ru вы́ход из стро́я (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · hi असफलता (state or condition opposite of success) · pl niewydolność ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life) · pt falha (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · nb svikt (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · sw ushinde (state or condition opposite of success) · prs شِکَسْت (state or condition opposite of success) · uk невда́ча (state or condition opposite of success) · sh не̏успјех (state or condition opposite of success) · ta தோல்வி (state or condition opposite of success) · es fracaso (state or condition opposite of success) · de Misserfolg (state or condition opposite of success) · ru отка́з (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · hu elakadás (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · fa-ira شِکَسْت (state or condition opposite of success) · it avaria (state or condition opposite of success) · id pecundang (object or person incapable of success) · es cate (state or condition opposite of success) · bg несполу́ка (state or condition opposite of success) · pl porażka (state or condition opposite of success) · da svigt (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · de Pleite (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · fi moka (state or condition opposite of success) · fi kömmähdys (state or condition opposite of success) · ar إِخْفَاق (state or condition opposite of success) · hu kudarc (state or condition opposite of success) · de Versagen (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · ky жол болбоо (state or condition opposite of success) · be права́л (state or condition opposite of success) · ga meath (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · fi möhläys (state or condition opposite of success) · de Versager (object or person incapable of success) · ja 失敗 (state or condition opposite of success) · la dēliquium (state or condition opposite of success) · da fiasko (state or condition opposite of success) · sk neúspech (state or condition opposite of success) · kea fadja (state or condition opposite of success) · fi munaus (state or condition opposite of success) · fi häiriö (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · sv misslyckande (state or condition opposite of success) · lv neveiksme (state or condition opposite of success) · de Misslingen (state or condition opposite of success) · es falla (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · la dēfectiō (state or condition opposite of success) · ky иш ордунан чыкпай калуу (state or condition opposite of success) · it insufficienza (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · ar فَشَل ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life) · it fiasco (state or condition opposite of success) · de Niete (object or person incapable of success) · ang āteorung, ġeteorung (state or condition opposite of success) · grc ἀποτυχία (state or condition opposite of success) · hu meghibásodás (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · io fiasko (state or condition opposite of success) · nl mislukking (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · de Versagerin (object or person incapable of success) · sh не̏успех (state or condition opposite of success) · bg повре́да (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · hy անհաջողություն (state or condition opposite of success) · fi epäonnistuminen (state or condition opposite of success) · ru крах (state or condition opposite of success) · fr navet (object or person incapable of success) · ru сбой (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · fi epäonnistuja (object or person incapable of success) · ar عُطْل (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · fr raté (object or person incapable of success) · pl defekt (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · ms kegagalan (state or condition opposite of success) · fi vaurio (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · pt insuficiência ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life) · ar قُصُور ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life) · grc ἀστοχία (state or condition opposite of success) · de Verschlechterung (state or condition opposite of success) · fi kaatuminen (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · pt fracasso (state or condition opposite of success) · uk збій (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · eo malsukceso (state or condition opposite of success) · be крах (state or condition opposite of success) · pt falência ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life) · ta செயலிழப்பு (termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function) · fi pysähdys ((pathology) condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life)