Agency Dictionary
Failure
nounPronunciation: /ˈfeɪ.ljɚ/
In Portuguese: Fracasso
Psychology & MindWhat does “Failure” mean?
The state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, performance standard, or operational expectation.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman failer, a use as a noun of the verb that in Old French was faillir or falir, "to fail, to be lacking". The ending was later reshaped on the model of English nouns in -ure, so that the word now reads as fail plus -ure. The French verb goes back, through a spoken Latin form, to Latin fallere, "to deceive, to disappoint", the same source as false and fallacy. From the act of failing the word came to name also a thing or a person that does not succeed.
Usage note
Failure names the event, the state and also the person or thing that fails (the play was a failure). In technical use it means a breakdown of function, as in heart failure or power failure.
Synonyms
- defeat
- fiasco
- flop
- collapse
- breakdown
- miscarriage
Often confused with
- fault
- A fault is a defect or a responsibility for something wrong; a failure is the lack of success that may result from it.
Word family
- fail
- failed
- failing
- fail-safe
- unfailing
Usage examples
They don’t, I tend to think that pursuing art is a commitment very few people can truly make because that entails living an unstable life with the risk of being a failure.
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
- vocationnoun
- A strong innate inclination or sense of purpose toward a particular career, craft, or calling.
- Synchronicitynoun
- The simultaneous occurrence of events that appear meaningfully related yet lack a direct causal connection.
- Resiliencenoun
- The capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, tough conditions, or shock.
- Stigmanoun
- A mark of social disgrace, shame, or prejudice associated with a particular circumstance, trait, or behavior.
- clevernessnoun
- The mental quality of being quick-witted, agile, and ingenious in solving specific situational problems.
- collective consciousnessnoun
- The set of beliefs, ideas and feelings shared by the members of a society, which exists beyond any single person. By extension, what a community knows and repeats in common.
- Abyssnoun
- A deep or seemingly bottomless chasm, either in physical geography or metaphorical psychological depth. It evokes feelings of unfathomable emptiness or existential peril.
- Adversitynoun
- A state of severe hardship, difficulty, or misfortune that tests resilience and moral endurance.
- Affectnoun
- An expressed or experienced emotion, feeling, or visceral response to a stimulus in psychology and philosophy.
- Anesthetizeverb
- To administer an anesthetic to eliminate physical feeling, or figuratively to numb emotional or critical awareness.
- anesthetizedadjective
- Deprived of physical sensation or feeling, often used figuratively to describe dullness or emotional apathy.
- Anesthetizingadjective
- Producing numbness, insensibility, or temporary relief from pain and critical awareness. In media studies, it describes content that pacifies audiences into mindless consumption.
Also from these editions: terms
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- A person or computational software program that provides aid, support, or automated services to facilitate work and handle routine tasks.
- Databasenoun
- A structured, organized collection of digitized data stored electronically in a computer system and accessible through various retrieval and querying mechanisms.
- Fictionnoun
- Literature in the form of prose, especially novels and short stories, that describes imaginary events, characters, and scenarios not strictly based on historical facts.
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- The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. Also, a state of affairs that is contrary to what one expects.
- Patronnoun
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- Poemnoun
- A piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits formal elements such as meter and rhyme.
- Prejudicenoun
- A preconceived opinion or unfavorable judgment that is not based on actual reason, knowledge, or direct experience, often directed against particular groups, ideas, or practices.
- Robotnoun
- A machine, especially one programmable by a computer, capable of carrying out a complex series of physical actions or automated computational operations autonomously or semi-autonomously.
- Talentnoun
- Natural aptitude, exceptional skill, or superior innate capacity for a specific craft, artistic expression, intellectual inquiry, or physical performance.
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