NONSTARTER Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

nonstarter

noun

Definition of nonstarter

as in loser

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Recent Examples of nonstarter Asking the public for a third round of tax increases feels like a political nonstarter, but so does whittling down his workers’ benefits. — Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026 Too much precarity, too little success, and too much commitment to naturally-occurring outcomes means that openly agitating for more diversity can be a nonstarter. — Adia Harvey Wingfield, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 For McLaughlin and Neal, handing over power to a corporation is a nonstarter. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2026 But negotiations for a permanent peace have stalled, and Iran has continued to menace the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to charge tolls for ships using the vital waterway, a nonstarter for American allies in the Persian Gulf. — Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for nonstarter

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonstarter

Noun

The Cubs’ reputation as lovable losers was well-earned after 37 years without a National League pennant and 74 years removed from their last World Series title.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Love should be a team effort, not a competition that produces winners and losers.

— Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of loser

Noun

The essay convinced me that Woodward stopped being a journalist after his great work with Carl Bernstein during the Watergate fiasco.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026
After a bad debate against challenger Nithya Raman over the summer and the fiasco that was City Hall’s response to the Lineage fire, the incumbent had no other way forward but attack, attack, attack.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of fiasco

Noun

Forty-three completed the workplace portion, wearing both the Bared Turtur and an ASOS Design Mary Jane Lottie for four weeks each, with a two-week washout period in between.

— Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026
Heavy rain has already caused problems in the county, including a washout on County Road 500 late last month.

— Jeff Todd, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of washout

Noun

Spain’s second high-speed rail disaster this year, in which one train struck another from behind, killing 69 people, has raised fresh concerns about the safety of the country’s rail network ahead of a national election.

— Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
The new rail disaster can't help the prospects of his Socialist party.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of disaster

Noun

Since Benson and her co-authors met in Oviedo, weather catastrophes have multiplied, oceans have acidified and the amount of carbon in the atmosphere has soared.

— Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
But this latest catastrophe could clip the wings of any comeback.

— Vasco Cotovio, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of catastrophe

Noun

Seven years have passed since Cats, but the spectacular musical flop still makes Judi Dench cringe.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
Notable names in this batch include billionaire Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy and tokenization service Securitize, both of which have been public market flops, but not outright debacles.

— Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of flop

Noun

There were, for example, a few state-level permitting debacles, with New Mexico rejecting SunZia’s initial transmission route in 2018.

— Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
So unsurprisingly, Councilmember Nithya Raman, her challenger in the mayoral campaign, is going after her on the people mover debacle and other transportation shortcomings.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of debacle

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nonstarter

nonstarters

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“Nonstarter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonstarter. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of nonstarter

noun

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