failure
/ˈfeɪ.ljəɹ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.72 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Omission to do something, whether or not it was attempted, especially something that ought to have been done.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An object, person or endeavour in a state of failure, has failed at something or incapable of success.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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."
- "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."
- "heart failure"
- "congestive heart failure"
- "liver failure"
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈfeɪ.ljəɹ/
- British English: /ˈfeɪ.ljə/