Describing Failure: English Vocabulary List

describing a situation where income is just sufficient to cover basic needs

"They live hand-to-mouth."

"The family lived a hand-to-mouth existence after the father lost his job and they could barely afford food and rent each month."

not effective in achieving the intended purpose

"The treatment is inefficacious."

"The medicine proved inefficacious in clinical trials and the pharmaceutical company decided to discontinue its development because it did not help patients."

failing to produce or accomplish the desired outcome

"The attempt was abortive."

"The rebels launched an abortive coup attempt but the government forces quickly suppressed the uprising and arrested the leaders within twenty four hours."

not doing well or not having enough money or success

"The business is unprosperous."

"The unprosperous region suffered from high unemployment and poverty and many young people moved away to find better opportunities in larger cities."

bringing bad fortune or ending in failure

"The voyage was ill-fated."

"The ill-fated expedition ended in tragedy when all of the climbers were caught in an avalanche and none of them survived the disaster."

poorly executed or managed, resulting in a failure to achieve the intended outcome

"The operation was bungled."

"The police bungled the investigation by failing to secure the crime scene and crucial evidence was lost or contaminated by careless officers."

resulting in little or no effect or success

"His efforts were unavailing."

"The student made an unavailing attempt to convince the professor to extend the deadline but the teacher refused to grant any additional time for the assignment."

prevented from succeeding or achieving a desired outcome

"The plan was foiled."

"The thief's plan was foiled by a security guard who noticed him trying to break into the store and called the police immediately."

lacking essential non-material needs, such as support, love, or community

"He felt destitute of love."

"The destitute family had nowhere to live after their house burned down and the community organized a fundraiser to help them find a new home."

extremely poor or in need

"He is indigent."

"The indigent man could not afford a lawyer so the court appointed a public defender to represent him in his criminal case."

to commit an embarrassing and serious mistake out of carelessness or stupidity

"The general blundered and lost the battle."

"The general made a serious blunder by sending his troops into a valley where the enemy was hiding and waiting to attack."

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

"He bungled the simple repair job."

"The inexperienced contractor managed to bungle the entire renovation project and the house was left in worse condition than before."

to fail or end in a weak or disappointing manner

"The fireworks fizzled out in the rain."

"The firework display started well but then fizzled out quickly because the shells had gotten wet in the rain."

to not succeed as much as intended

"The team underperformed during the championship."

"The company's stock price fell sharply after the CEO admitted that the sales team had continued to underperform for three consecutive quarters."

to give up, surrender, or part with a possession, right, or claim

"He relinquished control of the company."

"The old man was forced to relinquish control of the family business to his son after his health began to decline rapidly."

to handle or grip something clumsily or ineffectively

"The quarterback fumbled the football."

"The nervous quarterback managed to fumble the ball during the most important play of the entire championship game."

suffering or experiencing a lack of progress, vitality, or growth, often characterized by a feeling of being stuck or in decline

"The plant is languishing."

"The languishing plant had not been watered for weeks and its leaves were turning yellow and falling off one by one."