FAILURE Synonyms: 127 Similar and Opposite Words

failure

noun

ˈfāl-yər

Definition of failure

as in negligence

the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action your failure to check the batteries in the smoke detector could have tragic results

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in defeat

a falling short of one's goals the failure of the school's fund-raising drive was a big disappointment to all

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disaster

something that has failed the students' first attempt to build a homemade rocket was a disappointing failure

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shortage

a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number the failure of the potato crop had a devastating effect on the population of Ireland

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in bankruptcy

the inability to pay one's debts years of prolonged economic depression, when business failures were common

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of failure Its failures are human failures, its shoddiness human shoddiness. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 When Coyote arrives at Kevin’s office, the man wants to aim for only a small settlement for Acme’s faulty rocket shoes despite his client’s wealth of evidence of other product failures. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 After Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, the failure of New Orleans’ federal levee system inundated about 80% of the city in floodwaters. — Jack Brook, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 In 2011, Fabares told PBS Houston that after suffering liver failure and facing death, her outlook on life completely changed. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for failure

Recent Examples of Synonyms for failure

Noun

The former child star is now suing Disney over negligence, alleging that the studio failed to protect her or investigate despite warning signs of abuse.

— Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Aug. 2026
Should there be a lawsuit against the zoo’s owner for negligence?

— Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of negligence

Noun

But that defeat to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX was the worst pro season for McDuffie until last year.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
In 2025 things got more serious for Jair Bolsonaro when he was convicted and sentenced to about 27 years in prison for his role in planning a coup to remain in power after his election defeat.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of defeat

Noun

Displaced from their homes, hundreds of families resettled on the low-lying banks of the Trishuli river – only to face yet another horrific disaster on Wednesday.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Purchase and install emergency generators, integrate electrical systems, and conduct testing and preparedness activities so participating rural hospitals can maintain critical services during outages and disasters.

— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of disaster

Noun

Due to brass shortages, some knives had to be made with wooden handles, out of compressed leather washers, or bakelite plastic.

— David Szondy August 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Some allege that the government has engineered fuel shortages to make an agreement unavoidable, others go further, accusing moderates of staging a coup.

— Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of shortage

Noun

Before GLP-1s won over insurers and consumers alike, a whole generation of obesity drugs failed to reach blockbuster status; some instead went to bankruptcy court.

— Avalon Pernell, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
On October 15, 2018, Sears Holdings Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

— Jason Goldberg, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of bankruptcy

Noun

Both Walter and Lefever have pleaded not guilty to three counts of chronic neglect of a child causing great bodily harm and two counts of chronic neglect of a child causing emotional damage, his online records show.

— Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Iron Jane follows Janie John (González), who after a childhood shaped by neglect and invisibility, is pulled into a world that finally sees her, where pain is power and bodies are built, not born.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of neglect

Noun

Escaping an energy collapse Things didn’t collapse as analysts feared at the beginning of the conflict.

— Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
The letter provides the most complete window into Kapoor’s thinking since the collapse of his company, Location Ventures, three years ago.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of collapse

Noun

Summary Coastal and high-risk hotels face soaring insurance premiums, up 45-100%, as natural catastrophe losses escalate.

— Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
That didn’t stop catastrophes like the 2018 fire in the Sierra foothills that destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of catastrophe

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fails (at)

failure

failures

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“Failure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failure. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of failure

noun

Example Sentences

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