failed state
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Origin of failed state
First recorded in 1990–95
Words nearby failed state
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for failed state
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