failure

noun

State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.

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.

Omission to do something, whether or not it was attempted, especially something that ought to have been done.

(pathology) A condition in which a specified organ does not function well enough to support life.

Bankruptcy.

Roots

fallerefail- · Latin · deceive, fail

Words related to failure

failsv failedv nonstartern malfunctionn inabilityn erroneousnessn unsuccessfuladj refusaln misfiren faultyadj incapabilityn successesn inadequatenessn backfiringv doomedn incompetencyn abortivelyadv

Synonyms & related words for failure

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of failure — including failing, nonsuccess, nonfulfillment, loser, fiasco, nonperformance. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to failure

Explore words related to failure — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include fails, failed, nonstarter, malfunction, inability, erroneousness, unsuccessful, refusal. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for failure

Common synonyms for failure include failing, nonsuccess, nonfulfillment, loser, fiasco, nonperformance, insufficiency, debacle — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does failure come from?

The word failure breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root fail-, from Latin fallere (“deceive, fail”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.