1
as in defeats
a falling short of one's goals
the failure of the school's fund-raising drive was a big disappointment to all
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disasters
something that has failed
the students' first attempt to build a homemade rocket was a disappointing failure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shortages
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
the failure of the potato crop had a devastating effect on the population of Ireland
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bankruptcies
the inability to pay one's debts
years of prolonged economic depression, when business failures were common
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of failures
Yet, these authors and their peers such as Naomi Schaefer Riley continually shrink this extraordinarily complex problem to outcomes only — framing broken families in deeply dark narratives of horror, highlighting failures and demanding accountability.
—
Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Johnson said the failures cost Stephen Nolte his life.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
And yet somehow, his fans don’t read these abject failures the same way the rest of us do.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
This is a rich, complex memoir in which Foo explores her familial roots, the impact of intergenerational trauma in Asian-American immigrant communities, the failures of American healthcare, and the patriarchal erasure of women’s suffering.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
David Mandell said the procedural hiccups are indicative of the group’s broader failures to understand the existing scientific literature on autism as well as past meetings.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026
Companies with agricultural supply chains — from food and beverage manufacturers to commodity traders, insurers, and logistics firms — absorb fertilizer shocks through input costs, contract failures, and sovereign credit risk in key sourcing markets.
—Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026
The failures are instructive, too.
—Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
More recently, fans trying to buy tickets for major tours, like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, BTS, Bruce Springsteen, and Harry Styles have faced sky-high prices, system failures, and a lack of real alternatives.
—Letitia James, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Johnson said the failures cost Stephen Nolte his life.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
And yet somehow, his fans don’t read these abject failures the same way the rest of us do.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
This is a rich, complex memoir in which Foo explores her familial roots, the impact of intergenerational trauma in Asian-American immigrant communities, the failures of American healthcare, and the patriarchal erasure of women’s suffering.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
David Mandell said the procedural hiccups are indicative of the group’s broader failures to understand the existing scientific literature on autism as well as past meetings.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026
Companies with agricultural supply chains — from food and beverage manufacturers to commodity traders, insurers, and logistics firms — absorb fertilizer shocks through input costs, contract failures, and sovereign credit risk in key sourcing markets.
—Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026
The failures are instructive, too.
—Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
More recently, fans trying to buy tickets for major tours, like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, BTS, Bruce Springsteen, and Harry Styles have faced sky-high prices, system failures, and a lack of real alternatives.
—Letitia James, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failures
Noun
-
The team had shown signs of regression, not least in heavy defeats to Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Chelsea.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The back-to-back losses this weekend at Coors Field are the Dodgers’ first consecutive defeats of the season.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Five worst nuclear reactor disasters 1.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Satellite connectivity can act as a backup during disasters like hurricanes or wildfires.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the shortages of Patriot defense systems remain a concern amid reports that the Pentagon is considering diverting advanced defensive weapons earmarked for Ukraine to the Middle East.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In 2022, my final year in office, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent fertilizer prices surging several-fold, and farmers across Central America—and around the world—saw production costs spike almost overnight, raising fears of food shortages.—
Carlos Alvarado Quesada,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Two bankruptcies and six law enforcement jobs in three years.—
Ryan J. Foley,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Trump had numerous bankruptcies.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As the sun's core collapses, its outer layers, where nuclear fusion is still occurring, will puff out to around 100 times the original width of the sun — maybe more.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Marin stuck to her plan of staying close until a moment that changed everything with shocking swiftness — her changing her mind and going for the green on the par-5 13th for a go-ahead birdie, and Talley adding to the sad history of collapses on the back nine at the home of the Masters.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Have there been any disappointments?—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Mirroring the changing trends of the time, the Puente albums were commercial disappointments.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Dipping into 2027 draft capital to make a fifth-round selection in a draft that Schneider has repeatedly said lacks depth is a surprising move.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Industrial composting sites—big, regionalized facilities that can churn out large volumes of organic waste—are designed to speed up the composting process using heat, moisture, and carbon control, things that a simple countertop compost container lacks.—
Francesca Krempa,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There have been setbacks along the way.—
Jonathan Bullington,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
But noise, as well as glare, are typically buffered with vegetative landscaping and setbacks, or the distance between the property line and the nearest structure.—
Anna Clark,
ProPublica,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Failures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failures. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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