as in reliable
not likely to fail
flowers have been traditionally regarded as the fail-safe gift for Valentine's Day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in precaution
a measure taken to preclude loss or injury
there are so many fail-safes built into the system that a highly unlikely series of mistakes would have to be made before failure could occur
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 fail-safe
Abby Morgan Lebet, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2025
But if the human operator’s expertise must serve as a fail-safe to prevent catastrophe—guarding against edge cases or grabbing the controls if something breaks—then automation is failing to deliver on its promise.
—David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023
Shop Now 10 Navy Blue In areas with strict historic guidelines, navy blue is often a fail-safe.
—Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, 17 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fail-safe
Adjective
Classic Knee-High Boots + Matching Set Try out a pair of heeled black knee-high boots with a matching miniskirt and jacket set for a fail-safe outfit.
—Abby Morgan Lebet, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2025
But if the human operator’s expertise must serve as a fail-safe to prevent catastrophe—guarding against edge cases or grabbing the controls if something breaks—then automation is failing to deliver on its promise.
—David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
The idea was to make bank oversight both stricter and more fail-safe.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023
Shop Now 10 Navy Blue In areas with strict historic guidelines, navy blue is often a fail-safe.
—Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, 17 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fail-safe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fail-safe
Adjective
-
Clean energy is driving a state of 40 million people, offering more affordable energy and creating reliable jobs that will power the future.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Becton is not reliable at this stage.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Considerations Before Getting Started As with any intensive cleaning project, Stein suggests using proper safety precautions, such as wearing gloves and masks and properly ventilating your space.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Residents are advised to take immediate precautions to protect plants susceptible to cold damage.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
One surefire way to save money on All-Clad is by shopping its Factory Seconds sale, which comes around every few months.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The only surefire way to avoid this modern-day traveler's burnout is by taking the path less traveled.—
Travel + Leisure,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Padlocks, sickles and other objects made of iron, a metal said to possess anti-demonic powers, were stashed in the grave as preventives.—
Franz Lidz,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2023
-
But although human vaccines function primarily as preventives, offering immunity to animals such as black-footed ferrets can be a conservation strategy of last resort.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2023
Adjective
-
Callers who are accustomed to infallible technology can be baffled by this.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
2 Oct. 2025
-
While mobile boarding passes are a convenient and accessible way to have one of your most important travel documents at the ready, technology isn’t infallible.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fail-safe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fail-safe. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share