1
as in unsuccessful
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in inadequate
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in died
to stop functioning
my car failed just as I was about to head to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of failed
Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 June 2026
There were no customer payloads onboard the failed Spectrum launch last year.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 June 2026
Today, Libya is a failed state.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
Its passage follows three failed votes on similar proposals to limit the role of women in the church at the past three SBC annual meetings.
—Jeana Fermi, ABC News, 11 June 2026
Shrum advised Checchi, a former airline executive, in his failed 1998 bid — a campaign that’s often been compared to Steyer’s.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
As with his costars, his final performance was in the failed 1997 reboot.
—Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026
The hedge fund billionaire turned Democratic activist sank more than $215 million — a record — into his gubernatorial bid, after spending nearly $350 million in a failed 2020 try for president.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The decision followed two hours of debate and multiple failed motions — including a proposal to lower police raises — as leaders attempted to balance equity concerns with budget constraints.
—Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026
Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 18 June 2026
Staff at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System recommended Tuesday that the board drop United Healthcare plans after negotiations with the insurer over next year’s premiums failed to yield lower rates.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026
Marshall, a Boston-area native who now lives in Queens, allegedly repeatedly failed to pay her workers or gave them only partial payments.
—Katie Houlis, CBS News, 18 June 2026
The city’s police union said Wednesday that the city failed to meet and confer with it over any of the proposals at the LAPD, as required under the collective bargaining process.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
The Partey affair has hung heavy over a squad already trying to come to terms with a new coach in Queiroz, and who failed to qualify for the most recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) — a competition Ghana have won four times, but not since 1982.
—Simon Hughes, New York Times, 17 June 2026
When officers attempted a vehicle stop, the man allegedly failed to yield and engaged officers in a pursuit, according to police.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
Nursing home operators argued the state failed to properly account for the medical complexity of residents when calculating those payments, reducing reimbursement for facilities caring for some of the sickest patients.
—Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2026
The Giants loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh but failed to score.
—ABC News, 10 June 2026
Adjective
Steyer has now spent more than $500 million in failed campaigns.
—Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 June 2026
There were no customer payloads onboard the failed Spectrum launch last year.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 June 2026
Today, Libya is a failed state.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
Its passage follows three failed votes on similar proposals to limit the role of women in the church at the past three SBC annual meetings.
—Jeana Fermi, ABC News, 11 June 2026
Shrum advised Checchi, a former airline executive, in his failed 1998 bid — a campaign that’s often been compared to Steyer’s.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
As with his costars, his final performance was in the failed 1997 reboot.
—Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026
The hedge fund billionaire turned Democratic activist sank more than $215 million — a record — into his gubernatorial bid, after spending nearly $350 million in a failed 2020 try for president.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The decision followed two hours of debate and multiple failed motions — including a proposal to lower police raises — as leaders attempted to balance equity concerns with budget constraints.
—Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026
Verb
Two other ships owned by Lan, priced at about $175,000 each, have also failed to find buyers.
—Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 18 June 2026
Staff at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System recommended Tuesday that the board drop United Healthcare plans after negotiations with the insurer over next year’s premiums failed to yield lower rates.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026
Marshall, a Boston-area native who now lives in Queens, allegedly repeatedly failed to pay her workers or gave them only partial payments.
—Katie Houlis, CBS News, 18 June 2026
The city’s police union said Wednesday that the city failed to meet and confer with it over any of the proposals at the LAPD, as required under the collective bargaining process.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
The Partey affair has hung heavy over a squad already trying to come to terms with a new coach in Queiroz, and who failed to qualify for the most recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) — a competition Ghana have won four times, but not since 1982.
—Simon Hughes, New York Times, 17 June 2026
When officers attempted a vehicle stop, the man allegedly failed to yield and engaged officers in a pursuit, according to police.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
Nursing home operators argued the state failed to properly account for the medical complexity of residents when calculating those payments, reducing reimbursement for facilities caring for some of the sickest patients.
—Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2026
The Giants loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh but failed to score.
—ABC News, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failed
Adjective
-
There were certainly many unsuccessful fits and starts.—
Katie Kelly Bell,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Pearson said multiple attempts by Fish and Game to trap the bear were unsuccessful.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Eligibility to live in the development is open to those who don’t own a home or who live in inadequate housing.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
-
But Moreno said her rec centers have huge needs, citing the lack of a scoreboard at Montgomery-Waller and inadequate dugouts at Memorial’s ballpark.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
In August 2025, a horse collapsed and died in Manhattan after suffering an apparent aortic rupture, according to the Animal Welfare Institute, a non-profit organization.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
The incident came just days after a carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died near West 72nd Street and West Drive while pulling tourists through the park.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
On May 9, 1873—Black Friday—stocks collapsed, and fights broke out on the floor of the exchange, which was forced to close.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Like how the 1964 claims of a North Vietnamese attack in the Gulf of Tonkin collapsed.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Anyone hoping to see intricate short passing has been sorely disappointed thus far.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
-
Knowing this, the temptation to adopt a more siloed strategy, one that eschews coalitions with allies who have disappointed us, is strong.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, his ability in recent months to command functioning majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives has weakened considerably.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
The study finds that auto-renewal generated higher revenue in the medium term, but the advantage weakened as the subscriber count and engagement picture deteriorated.—
HEC Paris Insights,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
It’s called the Zeigarnik effect, first studied by the Soviet psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik in 1927, after her professor observed that waiters remembered the details of unpaid orders but forgot orders whose bills had been settled.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Mom placed her purse on the top of the toilet tank, forgot about it and returned to the car.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.—
Noah Alcala Bach,
San Antonio Express-News,
1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Failed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failed. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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