Synonyms of backfiring

backfiring

verb

present participle of backfire

as in collapsing

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

• collapsing
• flopping
• boomeranging
• struggling
• slipping
• folding
• floundering
• flunking
• waning
• slumping
• washing out
• declining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• succeeding
• flourishing
• thriving
• prospering

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of backfiring

The bigoted rhetoric against Muslim American politicians is backfiring, news and culture critic Lorraine Ali writes. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Yet, on so many fronts, Trump’s assertion of that power appears to be backfiring. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026

But the weak-yen policy her party championed for decades is now backfiring in real time. — William Pesek, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Or the war inside Iran by a regime whose new fear campaign against its people appears to be backfiring? — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2026

With the decision to keep Cole in backfiring and the Bombers’ bats silent against Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers’ bullpen, the Yankees began their second half with a 2-1 loss to the back-to-back champions. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026

Some fashion retailers‘ efforts to reduce the higher import costs are backfiring. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 23 June 2026

Djokovic, meanwhile, tried to shorten points by hitting drop shots of his own, but the tactic kept backfiring, with Prižmić able to chase them down and fire away winners. — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 8 May 2026

The president’s attacks and threats on Fed policymakers themselves are also backfiring. — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026