failed

[feyld]

adjective

1. falling short of success or achievement in something expected, desired, etc..

   bad memories from a failed relationship; a failed attempt to save his daughter.

Word History and Origins

Origin of failed¹

First recorded in 1650–60; fail ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

He added: “If they have those items and failed to employ them, that would be a major error.”

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The deficit would have been $2.1 trillion except for lower expected write-offs on student loans and lower outlays by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to resolve failed banks.

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"What we're doing is maintaining US strategic interest in the Western hemisphere," he said, warning that inaction risked a "failed state".

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All begins sunnily, however, in the year 1899, when Evelyn, a self-confessed hack writer of travel books, with one failed novel to his name, marries an American heiress.

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Even record state and federal funding failed to fuel a quick turnaround.

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Related Words

• abortive 
• disastrous 
• doomed 
• foiled 
• fruitless 
• futile 
• ill-fated 
• ineffective 
• ineffectual 
• losing 
• thwarted www.thesaurus.com
• useless 
• vain