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fail-soft

American  
[feyl-sawft, -soft] / ˈfeɪlˌsɔft, -ˌsɒft /

adjective

  1. pertaining to or noting facilities built into a system, as in an automobile or a computer, for continuing operations on an interim basis and probably with reduced efficiency, if parts of the system fail.

Etymology

Origin of fail-soft

Play on fail-safe

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The report says that at one point, the crush of users sent the system into a “fail-soft” mode and all connections between responding agencies were lost.

From Washington Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.