failed 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in unsuccessful

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in inadequate

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

failed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of fail
1
as in died
to stop functioning my car failed just as I was about to head to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in collapsed
to be unsuccessful despite all the publicity, the movie failed miserably at the box office

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disappointed
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of although the minor-league franchise continues to fail local fans, hope springs eternal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in weakened
to lose bodily strength or vigor ever since she reached the age of 90, Grandma has been noticeably failing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in forgot
to miss the opportunity or obligation failed to mention that he was looking for new job

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 failed
Adjective
Each has previously made failed bids for federal office in Idaho. — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026 Hamas officials blamed Israel for the hospital deaths, while Israel attributed the blast to a failed, errant rocket launched from within Gaza by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. — Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 In 2010, Ackman made a failed bid to merge Borders with Barnes & Noble. — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 Our children are paying the price for failed leadership and misplaced priorities. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Law & Courts A failed execution in Tennessee and plans to livestream a firing squad are recharging America’s death penalty debate, raising questions about morality and justice. — Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2026 With less than two minutes left and Kansas City holding onto a 30-27 lead, the Chiefs botched the snap, leading to a failed third-down conversion that would have iced the game. — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026 The failed effort to kill Christa Pike has placed a harsh spotlight on the practice of capital punishment in America, one of 17 countries to carry out an execution last year, as well as the regularity with which those executions go awry. — New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 The failed execution of Christa Pike Wednesday night in Tennessee wasn’t the first time a lethal injection didn’t go as planned. — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
Since democracy was restored in 1989, no candidate who failed to win the first round of voting has gone on to win the presidency in the second round. — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026 That plan failed when then-Senate President Susan Wagle refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. — Jack Harvel october 25, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026 Buelna failed to gain a key endorsement of the district’s faculty guild, whose executive board endorsed Winston. — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026 Aiello’s departure came as a result, in part, because top Weil leaders including Wolf failed to lay out a convincing long-term vision for the firm, according to a person familiar with his thinking. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Winter compared the dynamic to the 2024 US presidential election, when favorable statistics failed to overcome frustration with prices under President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026 The play initially was negated by a targeting penalty on Brice Pollock, but then it was overturned by video review and the Bearcats’ lead was cut to 24-15 after the 2-point attempt failed. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 Several lawmakers tried to crack down on immigration during the 2026 legislative session, but all but one bill failed to cross the finish line. — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026 Stevenson set about interviewing locals about why the mine had failed. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failed
  1. unsuccessful
  2. inadequate
  3. died
  4. collapsed
  5. disappointed
  6. weakened
  7. forgot
  8. failing
Adjective
  • Dean Riley, 62, was pronounced dead at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise after lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, according to the coroner’s office.
    — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
  • While not all lawsuits filed against small businesses are valid, even an unsuccessful lawsuit can cause major business disruptions and result in costly legal fees.
    — Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsuccessful
Adjective
  • Some experts believe this is a good start, but many see it as wholly inadequate.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • California officials dispute the federal approach, saying the government did not provide the evidence or methodology needed to assess the list and gave the state an inadequate deadline.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of inadequate
Verb
  • Three people died at the scene and a fourth man later died in hospital, regional military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha reported, while over a dozen people were injured.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The crash came three weeks after 17 people died in an accident along the same highway linking the capital, Nairobi, with the coastal city of Mombasa.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of died
Verb
  • Eons ago a star up to 30 times the mass of our sun collapsed and perished, forming a black hole.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • After reaching a grassy area between the lot and East Seminary Drive, Holt collapsed.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapsed
Verb
  • While the Phase 3 results disappointed Wall Street, oncologists say the outcomes were still highly positive.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Anyone hoping for timely debate over the purpose or efficacy of the criminal justice system is bound to be disappointed.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of disappointed
Verb
  • Black voter turnout surges Another factor working in Democrats' favor this election cycle is a surge in Black turnout following a Supreme Court decision that weakened part of the Voting Rights Act.
    — Stephen Fowler, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Conditions were expected to improve Saturday afternoon as winds weakened, with fair and dry weather forecast for the remainder of the weekend.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakened
Verb
  • Or to weather an economic emergency, or to stop modern slavery, or to combat unfair trade, or to stick it to a country that forgot to send the president a birthday gift.
    — Matthew Lynn, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Walking back to a hotel room and finding the bed untouched is no longer necessarily a sign that housekeeping forgot about you.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of forgot
Adjective
  • The World Bank, International Monetary Fund and International Criminal Court, which all got failing grades in last year's survey, saw the biggest gains.
    — Andrea Shalal, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.
    — Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Jan. 2026
Definition of failing

Browse Nearby Words

fail (at)
failed
failed (at)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Failed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failed. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All