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FAILURE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
An unexpected omission
Example:
the mechanic's failure to check the brakes
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("failure" is a kind of...):
omission; skip (a mistake resulting from neglect)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "failure"):
dashing hopes; disappointment (an act (or failure to act) that disappoints someone)
breach (a failure to perform some promised act or obligation)
copout (a failure to face some difficulty squarely)
Derivation:
fail (fail to do something; leave something undone)
Sense 2
Meaning:
An act that fails
Example:
his failure to pass the test
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("failure" is a kind of...):
nonaccomplishment; nonachievement (an act that does not achieve its intended goal)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "failure"):
failing; flunk (failure to reach a minimum required performance)
naught (complete failure)
loss (the act of losing someone or something)
backsliding; lapse; lapsing; relapse; relapsing; reversion; reverting (a failure to maintain a higher state)
error; misplay ((baseball) a failure of a defensive player to make an out when normal play would have sufficed)
out ((baseball) a failure by a batter or runner to reach a base safely in baseball)
nonconformance; nonconformity (failure to conform to accepted standards of behavior)
default; nonpayment; nonremittal (act of failing to meet a financial obligation)
Derivation:
fail (be unsuccessful)
Sense 3
Meaning:
An event that does not accomplish its intended purpose
Example:
the surprise party was a complete failure
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("failure" is a kind of...):
happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "failure"):
defeat; licking (an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest)
breakdown; equipment failure (a cessation of normal operation)
malformation; miscreation (something abnormal or anomalous)
bust; fizzle; flop (a complete failure)
misfire; miss (a failure to hit (or meet or find etc))
abortion; miscarriage (failure of a plan)
malfunction (a failure to function normally)
flame-out (a complete or conspicuous failure)
downfall; ruin; ruination (failure that results in a loss of position or reputation)
Antonym:
success (an event that accomplishes its intended purpose)
Derivation:
fail (fall short in what is expected)
fail (be unsuccessful)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently
Synonyms:
failure; loser; nonstarter; unsuccessful person
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("failure" is a kind of...):
unfortunate; unfortunate person (a person who suffers misfortune)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "failure"):
bankrupt; insolvent (someone who has insufficient assets to cover their debts)
flash in the pan (someone who enjoys transient success but then fails)
dud; flop; washout (someone who is unsuccessful)
underdog (one at a disadvantage and expected to lose)
Derivation:
fail (be unsuccessful)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Loss of ability to function normally
Example:
kidney failure
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("failure" is a kind of...):
disorder; upset (a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "failure"):
coronary failure; heart failure (inability of the heart to pump enough blood to sustain normal bodily functions)
kidney failure; renal failure (inability of the kidneys to excrete wastes and to help maintain the electrolyte balance)
Derivation:
fail (stop operating or functioning)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Lack of success
Example:
that year there was a crop failure
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("failure" is a kind of...):
circumstances; destiny; fate; fortune; lot; luck; portion (your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "failure"):
bankruptcy (a state of complete lack of some abstract property)
bank failure (the inability of a bank to meet its credit obligations)
crop failure (the failure of crops to produce a marketable surplus)
dead duck (something doomed to failure)
Antonym:
success (a state of prosperity or fame)
Derivation:
fail (be unsuccessful)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Inability to discharge all your debts as they come due
Example:
fraudulent loans led to the failure of many banks
Synonyms:
bankruptcy; failure
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("failure" is a kind of...):
insolvency (the lack of financial resources)
Derivation:
fail (become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close)
Context examples:
This can rapidly lead to blood clots and failure of multiple organs, including the lungs, kidney, and liver.
(Electroacupuncture Reduces Sepsis in Mice, NIH)
I respect and admire your failure.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
After a 10-year follow-up, 3 per cent of them had developed atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm) and nearly 5 per cent developed heart failure.
(Frequently brushing teeth may help prevent heart attacks, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
In addition, the ctDNA test was able to identify patients at high risk of treatment failure during treatment, a strategy known as interim monitoring.
(Tumor DNA in Blood Reveals Lymphoma Progression, NIH)
They have also identified anti-inflammatory treatments that ease some of the patients’ symptoms: fever, skin rashes, diarrhea, joint pain and overall failure to grow or thrive.
(Researchers discover otulipenia, a new inflammatory disease, NIH)
The study showed that El Niño can result in simultaneous crop failures in different parts of the world, with certain regions particularly at risk.
(El Niño linked to widespread crop failures, SciDev.Net)
But they also are prone to failure, and often break.
(Materials, like metallic glass, can help us understand how cells break, NSF)
Around 30 million people across Europe suffer from chronic liver diseases, for which there is currently no cure, with liver transplants being the only treatment for liver failure.
(Regeneration mechanism discovered in mice could provide target for drugs to combat chronic liver disease, University of Cambridge)
It is manifested during infancy with cyanosis, dyspnea, and rapidly progressing heart failure.
(Aortic Valve Atresia, NCI Thesaurus)
Anemia resulting from bone marrow failure (aplastic or hypoplastic bone marrow).
(Aplastic Anemia, NCI Thesaurus)
