failed state

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noun

a nation in which the government has lost political authority and control and is unable to fulfill the basic responsibilities of a sovereign state.

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Origin of failed state

First recorded in 1990–95

Words nearby failed state

Faidherbe, faience, fail, failed, failed star, failed state, failing, faille, fail-safe, fail-soft, failure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use failed state in a sentence

Dental leaders barnstormed the state, and cities began to fluoridate.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
But on Thursday Boxer triggered a Golden State political earthquake, announcing that she would not seek a fifth term in 2016.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, in Florida, Bush was flooded with questions about whether gay marriage could possibly come to the Sunshine State.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This week, Florida became the 36th state to allow same-sex marriage.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

But if you have a hearing and you prove that someone is mature enough, well then that state interest evaporates.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But with all her advantages Miss Solomonson failed with the old lord, and she abuses him to this day.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
If we can free this State of Yankees, we will accomplish more than your armies down south have.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
This was my sincere endeavor, in those many discourses I had with that monarch, although it unfortunately failed of success.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Walls End Castle, when the party broke up, returned to its normal state.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
He failed to see that this man had suffered bitterly through his evil machinations.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for failed state

failed state

noun

a weak state where social and political structures have collapsed to the point where the government has little or no control

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012