as in defeat
a falling short of one's goals
a youthful drug addict who's headed for a lifetime of nonachievement
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Recent Examples of nonachievement
Where some purists see an arbitrary nonachievement, others see a fun and worthy goal.
—
Jon Gluck, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2017
Jon Gluck, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonachievement
Noun
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Tuesday’s 83-79 overtime loss to Washington in the Big Ten tournament, the Trojans’ eighth straight defeat, brought to a close what USC coach Eric Musselman called the toughest stretch of his coaching career.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Porro and Van de Ven appeared to clash with the away fans following January’s defeat by Bournemouth.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Some policy defenders contend that the labor market weakness reflects adjustments to immigration restrictions rather than fundamental economic failure, positioning this as a deliberate policy choice rather than an economic failure.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Survivors are at risk of infections and organ or respiratory failure, even if their burns are small.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Shortly after the collapse of Hussein’s ruling party, crowds looted government offices and cultural sites.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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John’s insistence on using the George office for anything but actual work related to the magazine, which is perennially on the verge of collapse, is going to give Berman a heart attack.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonachievement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonachievement. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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