1
as in unsuccessful
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2
as in inadequate
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in died
to stop functioning my car failed just as I was about to head to work
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2
as in collapsed
to be unsuccessful despite all the publicity, the movie failed miserably at the box office
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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
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4
as in weakened
to lose bodily strength or vigor ever since she reached the age of 90, Grandma has been noticeably failing
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5
as in forgot
to miss the opportunity or obligation failed to mention that he was looking for new job
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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 failed
Cindy Krischer Goodman, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026 Skiboky Stora, 42, who has mounted numerous failed campaigns for mayor and governor, was sentenced by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Josh Hanshaft. —Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026 Steve Cohen can afford failed gambles, but the Mets can’t afford much else going wrong. —Levi Weaver, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026 The blockade follows failed ceasefire talks over Iran’s nuclear program, with the current truce expiring April 22 and no clear path to resuming negotiations. —Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 Vance talked about the Hungarian battle against Soviet rule, including the failed, bloody revolution of 1956. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026 Gonzalez ultimately nominated Henyard to fill the supervisor position in 2022, after five failed votes by trustees to find a replacement as a midnight deadline neared to avoid a town hall meeting. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 In 2024, North Korea claimed to have successfully testlaunched a multiwarhead missile, but South Korea quickly dismissed it as deception to cover up a failed launch. —Arkansas Online, 30 Mar. 2026 In 2024, North Korea claimed to have successfully test-launched a multiwarhead missile, but South Korea quickly dismissed it as a deception to cover up a failed launch. —CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026 Police say two suspects dressed in black hoodies failed to get inside. —Jeff Nguyen, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026 Pricey devices such as the Apple Vision Pro, a headset that blends the digital and physical world so people can watch videos, play games, work and do other tasks, failed to become mainstream. —Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 This reporter tried his hand recently to add to his take after a Las Vegas trip, but failed miserably. —Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026 Judge Nancy Abudu — appointed by Joe Biden — said the state and federal government failed to show that the district court abused its power. —Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026 And the whales—humpback, fin, and minke—never failed to wow us. —Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026 The measure failed to advance, 46 to 51. —Charbel Mallo, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026 Fresh from a marathon trip to Pakistan that failed to reach a deal for ending the war with Iran, Vice President JD Vance jetted to this Georgia college town for a campus tour organized by the conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA. —ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
DeSantis had backed a failed bill that also sought to require health care practitioners who administer vaccines to offer parents an alternative vaccine schedule and to provide parents with information about the benefits and risks at the time of vaccination. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026 Skiboky Stora, 42, who has mounted numerous failed campaigns for mayor and governor, was sentenced by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Josh Hanshaft. —Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026 Steve Cohen can afford failed gambles, but the Mets can’t afford much else going wrong. —Levi Weaver, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026 The blockade follows failed ceasefire talks over Iran’s nuclear program, with the current truce expiring April 22 and no clear path to resuming negotiations. —Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 Vance talked about the Hungarian battle against Soviet rule, including the failed, bloody revolution of 1956. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026 Gonzalez ultimately nominated Henyard to fill the supervisor position in 2022, after five failed votes by trustees to find a replacement as a midnight deadline neared to avoid a town hall meeting. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 In 2024, North Korea claimed to have successfully testlaunched a multiwarhead missile, but South Korea quickly dismissed it as deception to cover up a failed launch. —Arkansas Online, 30 Mar. 2026 In 2024, North Korea claimed to have successfully test-launched a multiwarhead missile, but South Korea quickly dismissed it as a deception to cover up a failed launch. —CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
While Rosenior would have been expected to coax better performances from those available, Chelsea’s attackers have failed to step up. —Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026 Police say two suspects dressed in black hoodies failed to get inside. —Jeff Nguyen, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026 Pricey devices such as the Apple Vision Pro, a headset that blends the digital and physical world so people can watch videos, play games, work and do other tasks, failed to become mainstream. —Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 This reporter tried his hand recently to add to his take after a Las Vegas trip, but failed miserably. —Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026 Judge Nancy Abudu — appointed by Joe Biden — said the state and federal government failed to show that the district court abused its power. —Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026 And the whales—humpback, fin, and minke—never failed to wow us. —Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026 The measure failed to advance, 46 to 51. —Charbel Mallo, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026 Fresh from a marathon trip to Pakistan that failed to reach a deal for ending the war with Iran, Vice President JD Vance jetted to this Georgia college town for a campus tour organized by the conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA. —ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failed
Adjective
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Efforts by Knight's attorneys to appeal the case have so far been unsuccessful.— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
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Harry launched an unsuccessful bid for City Council in 2010.— Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Being saddled with inadequate accounting software leads to incomplete data, reporting errors, compliance issues, duplicate records, and, eventually, the headache of moving to an entirely new platform.— Dana Miranda, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
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There has been no lesson learned and inadequate spending on infrastructure improvements, which would help prevent future catastrophes.— Kristine Alessio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another ballot was mailed in Maya’s name in October 2024, though the dog had recently died, prosecutors said.— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
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The man accused of carrying out a deadly string of seemingly random shootings in the Atlanta suburbs, including the killing of a Department of Homeland Security employee walking her dog, has died in jail before authorities could determine a motive.— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bulgaria's previous conservative government collapsed in December after nationwide anti-corruption protests drew hundreds of thousands of mainly young people to the streets.— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
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The climax hit, and as every Phish fan knows, nearly collapsed the song before Anastasio brought the chicky-chicky guitar back in.— Jeff Miller, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Jess Park Given Toone’s absence, Park will be disappointed not to be handed a start against Spain or Iceland, with Kendall and Blindkilde Brown handed opportunities to impress.— Megan Feringa, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
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Only one cardinal survived—smells like a snitch—and Urban was apparently disappointed by how little the other captive cardinals had screamed.— Jane Bua, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But one night, with my reserve weakened by cheap Sambuca shots, Tom and I ended up kissing.— Rebecca Cope, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2026
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The correlation between stocks and bonds , which hasn’t been reliable in recent years, weakened meaningfully at the start of the Iran war, BlackRock said in its spring outlook Wednesday.— Michelle Fox, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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People almost forgot about the fifth starter.— Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026
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My parents never forgot about me.— Annie Heilbrunn, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/failed. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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