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Success and Failure - Resulting in Failure

Here you will learn some English words related to resulting in failure such as "abortive", "barren", and "collapse".

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Words Related to Success and Failure
losing battle

something that is very unlikely to succeed

Ex: Trying to save the project without funding was a losing battle. 
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abortive
abortive
[Adjective]

failing to produce or accomplish the desired outcome

Ex: The company's abortive attempt to launch a new product resulted in financial loss. 
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attempted
attempted
[Adjective]

(of a crime, suicide, etc.) not done successfully

Ex: The police investigated an attempted robbery at the bank. 
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to backfire

to have a result contrary to what one desired or intended

Ex: His attempt to prank his friend backfired when she turned the tables on him. 
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badly
badly
[Adverb]

in a way that is not satisfactory, acceptable, or successful

Ex: He performed badly on the exam. 
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barren
barren
[Adjective]

completely lacking or devoid of something

Ex: His speech was barren of new ideas. 
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to be on a hiding to nothing

used to state that someone has no chance of achieving success or reaching the desired outcome

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to be no use
to be no use
[phrase]

to be useless due to producing little or no result

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to [bite] off more than {sb} (can|could) chew

to attempt to do something that is beyond one's capability

Ex: He bit off more than he could chew when he agreed to manage three projects at once. 
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to [bite] the dust

to completely fail, lose, or stop functioning

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breakdown
breakdown
[noun]

a failure in the progress or effectiveness of a relationship or system

Ex: The communication breakdown led to the project's failure. 
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to bungle
to bungle
[Verb]

to handle a task or activity clumsily, often causing damage or problem

Ex: The contractor bungled the construction project, leading to numerous structural issues and delays. 
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bungling
bungling
[Adjective]

done in a very careless and clumsy way

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to break down

(of a relationship, negotiation, etc.) to fail to function properly

Ex: The negotiations broke down after hours of intense debate. 
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to [chase] {one's} (own|) tail

to try hard yet achieve very little or nothing at all

Ex: I've been chasing my tail all morning and still haven't finished the report. 
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to choke
to choke
[Verb]

to perform poorly or fail unexpectedly when winning or favored to win

Ex: They were about to win but choked at the last moment. 
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close but no cigar

used to refer to an attempt or a guess that was close to achieve success but failed to do so

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collapsed
collapsed
[Adjective]

(of a system, organization, etc.) having experienced sudden failure due to becoming too weak or unsuccessful to continue

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to collapse

to experience a sudden and complete failure

Ex: The entire project collapsed under the weight of unrealistic expectations and poor planning. 
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to [come] a cropper

to suddenly fail at something

Ex: The plan came a cropper when the main investor pulled out. 
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to [come] to grief

to have an undesirable, unfortunate, or disappointing outcome

Ex: Their plan came to grief when the budget was cut. 
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to [come] to nothing

to fail to achieve the desired results

Ex: After months of talks, the deal came to nothing. 
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to crumble

to make something break up into smaller pieces

Ex: She gently crumbled the cookie into small pieces to sprinkle over the ice cream. 
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to come unglued

(of a plan, idea, etc.) to fail to work successfully

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to [come] unstuck

(of an idea, plan, etc.) to utterly fail

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to crumble

to become weak or begin to fail

Ex: The athlete's resolve began to crumble as the race wore on, and fatigue set in. 
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dead on arrival

likely to be a failure from the beginning

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defeatism
defeatism
[noun]

an attitude that makes someone believe that they do not stand a chance in a particular situation

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defeatist
defeatist
[noun]

someone who is believes that they are not likely to succeed

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to disqualify

to make someone or something not fit or suitable for a particular position or activity

Ex: The horse's broken leg effectively disqualified it from future racing events that season. 
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to die a death

to gradually fail or be forgotten, particularly due to failure to achieve success

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disappointing
disappointing
[Adjective]

not fulfilling one's expectations or hopes

Ex: The disappointing performance of the team in the championship match left fans feeling disheartened. 
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disastrously
disastrously
[Adverb]

in an extremely unsuccessful or unfortunate way

Ex: The decision to ignore environmental regulations proved disastrously, leading to widespread pollution. 
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disastrous
disastrous
[Adjective]

extremely unsuccessful, unfortunate, or poorly executed

Ex: His performance at the recital was disastrous. 
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disappointingly

in a manner that falls short of expectations or desired standards

Ex: The highly anticipated sequel performed disappointingly at the box office. 
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