fiasco

1 of 2

noun (1)

fi·​as·​co fē-ˈa-(ˌ)skō 

also

-ˈä- 

plural fiascoes

: a complete failure

The critic called the film a fiasco.

… the total fiasco that was his personal life …

—Margaret Atwood

fiasco

2 of 2

noun (2)

fi·​as·​co fē-ˈä-(ˌ)skō  -ˈa- 

plural fiascoes also fiaschi fē-ˈä-(ˌ)skē 

-ˈa-

: bottle, flask

especially : a bulbous long-necked straw-covered bottle for wine

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bomb
• bummer
• bust
• catastrophe
• clinker
• clunker
• debacle
• débâcle
• disaster
• dud
• failure
• fizzle
• flop
• frost
• lemon
• loser
• miss
• shipwreck
• turkey
• washout

Examples of fiasco in a Sentence

Noun (1)

undaunted by his early fiascoes, he continued his experiments in rocketry

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the process, he was almost blamed for a fiasco that frankly didn't have the brains to mastermind. —Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024

And many remember the bad vibes from the infamous Fyre Festival fiasco, a lavish getaway concert in 2017 that collapsed in a sea of mud and was anything but a VIP experience. —Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 26 Sep. 2024

In the unaired portions of their chat, Stahl pressed Michaels about the public’s reaction to the fiasco. —John Russell, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2024

This reached a head last month when Boeing was convicted as a felon over its handling of the 737 Max fiasco. —Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 15 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French, from Italian, from fare fiasco, literally, to make a bottle

Noun (2)

Italian, from Late Latin flasco bottle — more at flask

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1854, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fiasco

noun

fi·​as·​co

fē-ˈas-kō

plural fiascoes

: a complete failure