1
as in died
to stop functioning
my car failed just as I was about to head to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
1
as in unsuccessful
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in inadequate
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of failed
Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2025
In fact, poor connectivity alone accounts for 55% of failed charging sessions, according to the Electrification Institute.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
So far, lawmakers have held six failed votes, and today's attempt is expected to have the same outcome.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
The Senate is preparing to vote again on reopening, a day after the sixth failed vote.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
San Marcos’ only loss came in Week 1, when a failed 2-point conversion led to a 28-27 loss to Mount Miguel.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
In his eyes, some of the Rangers’ issues came from failed execution.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
The legendary brand has struggled globally to rebound from a failed post-pandemic direct-to-consumer strategy under former CEO John Donahoe, who was ousted last year.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
The big question is how the mysterious project will stand out from today’s smartphones, smart speakers, and other (failed) attempts to feature AI.
—Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2025
Mark Carey, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Her story was largely overlooked by the national news channels and failed to spark sustained outrage.
—Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
That has extended to AI, where Europe has so far failed to produce an AI company on par with its global peers.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Eleven-time All-Star guard James Harden had three of the team’s 13 turnovers and failed to shot 0 for 6 from 3-point range.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
The president has claimed that Democratic state and local officials have failed to protect citizens and allowed violence to spiral out of control, even as San Francisco’s crime rates have fallen in recent months and the city is on track to see the fewest homicides since the 1950s.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
However, the anti-SLAPP motion failed on the second prong, which requires the defendant to show that the claim lacks minimal merit.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Most of those aerial attacks were thwarted by Ukraine or otherwise failed, the air force said.
—Lilia Geho, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2025
But the Yellow Jackets failed to score on four running plays inside the Saginaw three-yard line.
—Updated October 10, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
The defense wasn’t tired because there weren’t several quick, failed drives by the offense.
—Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2025
In fact, poor connectivity alone accounts for 55% of failed charging sessions, according to the Electrification Institute.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
So far, lawmakers have held six failed votes, and today's attempt is expected to have the same outcome.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
The Senate is preparing to vote again on reopening, a day after the sixth failed vote.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
San Marcos’ only loss came in Week 1, when a failed 2-point conversion led to a 28-27 loss to Mount Miguel.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
In his eyes, some of the Rangers’ issues came from failed execution.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
The legendary brand has struggled globally to rebound from a failed post-pandemic direct-to-consumer strategy under former CEO John Donahoe, who was ousted last year.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
The big question is how the mysterious project will stand out from today’s smartphones, smart speakers, and other (failed) attempts to feature AI.
—Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Robertson only came onto the pitch after 55 minutes, but was forced to deal with three dangerous back-post crosses in the second half after Liverpool failed to stop deliveries coming from their right side.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Her story was largely overlooked by the national news channels and failed to spark sustained outrage.
—Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
That has extended to AI, where Europe has so far failed to produce an AI company on par with its global peers.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Eleven-time All-Star guard James Harden had three of the team’s 13 turnovers and failed to shot 0 for 6 from 3-point range.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
The president has claimed that Democratic state and local officials have failed to protect citizens and allowed violence to spiral out of control, even as San Francisco’s crime rates have fallen in recent months and the city is on track to see the fewest homicides since the 1950s.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
However, the anti-SLAPP motion failed on the second prong, which requires the defendant to show that the claim lacks minimal merit.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Most of those aerial attacks were thwarted by Ukraine or otherwise failed, the air force said.
—Lilia Geho, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2025
But the Yellow Jackets failed to score on four running plays inside the Saginaw three-yard line.
—Updated October 10, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failed
Verb
-
Theresa’s mother died in 2019, but her father stood with prosecutors at the news conference Wednesday.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Musicians everywhere came to pay tributes to the late R&B icon D’Angelo, who died from pancreatic cancer on October 14.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After the state distributor Embrafilme was dismantled in 1990, national production nearly collapsed, silencing a generation of filmmakers.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
12 Oct. 2025
-
As for that Oregon-Penn State game, the Nittany Lions have full-on collapsed since Drew Allar’s OT interception gave the Ducks what looked like an impressive victory.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The third major metric to watch is net asset flows, which disappointed versus Wall Street expectations in the first and second quarters.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Bryce Miller worked four scoreless innings in his first playoff start for the Seattle Mariners and was disappointed to be pulled in the fifth.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Nearly everything weakened, from Big Tech companies like Nvidia and Apple to stocks of smaller companies looking to get past uncertainty about tariffs and trade.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Eighteen packages of European Union sanctions and dozens more from the United States, United Kingdom and others have weakened Russia’s economy – but not its resolve to carry on fighting.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And the word Spanx made your mind wander a little bit and nobody ever forgot it.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Someone forgot to remind the clearly nervous Timothy to smile!—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Lake Worth police officers and animal control officers searched the area to find the suspect and the brown pit bull but were unsuccessful, police said.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Oct. 2025
-
After unsuccessful attempts to identify them, the bodies were declared unidentifiable.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Critics say the state has been far too slow to build new housing, leading to high demand and inadequate supply.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Chaffin argued the documents cited by the administration to justify the call-up were inadequate.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Price’s vehicle then crashed into a tree, according to the crash report.—
Fox19 staff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
15 Oct. 2025
-
When the plane crashed, another driver saw the victim screaming.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Failed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failed. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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