Synonyms of backfired

backfired

verb

past tense of backfire

as in collapsed

to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect

my plan to throw her a surprise party backfired when she ended up thinking that everyone had forgotten her birthday

Synonyms & Similar Words

• collapsed
• flopped
• boomeranged
• folded
• struggled
• floundered
• slipped
• waned
• flunked
• washed out
• slumped
• declined

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• succeeded
• flourished
• prospered
• thrived

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of backfired

France’s exclusion of the UK from the Security Action for Europe defence program already backfired. — Galip Dalay, Time, 7 July 2026

Parliament's attempt to regulate has backfired, creating a more opaque and less controllable environment for youth social media use. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

And again, many of the reforms backfired or proved injudicious, but some of them remain powerful to this day. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

If reinvigorating the Party was Howard’s goal, however, the strategy has backfired spectacularly. — Oscar Schwartz, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

In an attempt to play more of a traditional center role for the Magic, Isaac added weight ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, but the decision, which was made collectively with him and the team, backfired. — Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2026

World Cup His bold decision to go with a nine-man rotation backfired in a 3-2 World Cup loss. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026

After all, progressive overreach has backfired in the past. — Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 27 June 2026

But combined with Disney‘s embarrassing The Mandalorian and Grogu influencer stunt that backfired, a movie’s first reactions on social media are increasingly being met with equal amounts of fan skepticism. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 26 June 2026