An act that fails.

Roget 927: dereliction of duty; fault etc. (guilt) 947; sin etc. (vice) 945; non-observance, non-performance; neglect, relaxation, infraction, violation, transgression, failure, evasion; dead letter.    ... show more

Roget 947: guilt, guiltiness; culpability; criminality, criminousness^†; deviation from rectitude etc. (improbity) 940^†; sinfulness etc. (vice) 945.    misconduct, misbehavior, misdoing, misdeed; malpractice, fault, sin, error, transgression; dereliction, delinquency; indiscretion, lapse, slip, trip, faux pas [Fr.], peccadillo; flaw, blot, omission; failing, failure; break, bad break! [U.S.], capital crime, delictum [Lat.].    offense, trespass; misdemeanor, misfeasance, misprision; malefaction, malfeasance, malversation; crime, felony.    enormity, atrocity, outrage; deadly sin, mortal sin; deed without a name" [Macbeth]. corpus delicti.    ... show more

Roget 945: vice; evil-doing, evil courses; wrongdoing; wickedness, viciousness etc. adj.; iniquity, peccability^†, demerit; sin, Adam^†; old Adam^†, offending Adam^†.    immorality, impropriety, indecorum, scandal, laxity, looseness of morals; enphagy^†, dophagy^†, exophagy^†; want of principle, want of ballast; obliquity, backsliding, infamy, demoralization, pravity^†, depravity, pollution; hardness of heart; brutality etc. (malevolence) 907; corruption etc. (debasement) 659; knavery etc. (improbity) 940^†; profligacy; flagrancy, atrocity; cannibalism; lesbianism, Sadism.    infirmity; weakness etc. adj.; weakness of the flesh, frailty, imperfection; error; weak side; foible; failing, failure; crying sin, besetting sin; defect, deficiency; cloven foot.    lowest dregs of vice, sink of iniquity, Alsatian den^†; gusto picaresco [It].    fault, crime; criminality etc. (guilt) 947.    sinner etc. 949.    [Resorts] brothel etc. 961; gambling house etc. 621; joint [Slang], opium den, shooting gallery, crack house.    ... show more

Roget 773: nonobservance etc. 772; evasion, inobservance, failure, omission, neglect, laches [Law], laxity, informality.    infringement, infraction; violation, transgression; piracy.    retraction, retractation^†, repudiation, nullification; protest; forfeiture.    lawlessness; disobedience etc. 742; bad faith etc. 940.    ... show more

Roget 735: adversity, evil etc. 619; failure etc. 732; bad luck, ill luck, evil luck, adverse luck, hard fortune, hard hap, hard luck, hard lot; frowns of fortune; evil dispensation, evil star, evil genius^†; vicissitudes of life, ups and downs of life, broken fortunes; hard case, hard lines, hard life; sea of troubles; peck of troubles; hell upon earth; slough of despond.    trouble, hardship, curse, blight, blast, load, pressure.    pressure of the times, iron age, evil day, time out of joint; hard times, bad times, sad times; rainy day, cloud, dark cloud, gathering clouds, ill wind; visitation, infliction; affliction etc. (painfulness) 830; bitter pill; care, trial; the sport of fortune.    mishap, mischance, misadventure, misfortune; disaster, calamity, catastrophe; accident, casualty, cross, reverse, check, contretemps, rub; backset^†, comedown, setback [U.S.].    losing game; falling etc. v.; fall, downfall; ruination, ruinousness; undoing; extremity; ruin etc. (destruction) 162.    ... show more

Roget 699: unskillfulness etc. adj.; want of skill etc. 698; incompetence, incompentency^†; inability, infelicity, indexterity^†, inexperience; disqualification, unproficiency^†; quackery.    folly, stupidity etc. 499; indiscretion etc. (rashness) 863; thoughtlessness etc. (inattention) 458 (neglect) 460; sabotage.    mismanagement, misconduct; impolicy^†; maladministration; misrule, misgovernment, misapplication, misdirection, misfeasance; petticoat government.    absence of rule, rule of thumb; bungling etc. v.; failure etc. 732; screw loose: too many cooks.    blunder etc. (mistake) 495; etourderie gaucherie [Fr.], act of folly, balourdise^†; botch, botchery^†; bad job, sad work.    sprat sent out to catch a whale, much ado about nothing, wild-goose chase.    bungler etc. 701; fool etc. 501.    ... show more

Roget 158: impotence; inability, disability; disablement, impuissance, imbecility; incapacity, incapability; inaptitude, ineptitude, incompetence, unproductivity^†; indocility^†; invalidity, disqualification; inefficiency, wastefulness.    telum imbelle [Lat.], brutum fulmen [Lat.], blank, blank cartridge, flash in the pan, vox et proeterea nihil [Lat.], dead letter, bit of waste paper, dummy; paper tiger; Quaker gun.    inefficacy etc. (inutility) 645^†; failure etc. 732.    helplessness etc. adj.; prostration, paralysis, palsy, apoplexy, syncope, sideration^†, deliquium [Lat.], collapse, exhaustion, softening of the brain, inanition; emasculation, orchiotomy [Med.], orchotomy [Med.].    cripple, old woman, muff, powder puff, creampuff, pussycat, wimp, mollycoddle; eunuch.    ... show more

Roget 304: shortcoming, failure; falling short etc. v.; default, defalcation; leeway; labor in vain, no go.    incompleteness etc. 53; imperfection etc. 651; insufficiency etc. 640; noncompletion etc. 730; failure etc. 732.    ... show more

Dutch: deconfiture, echec, fiasco, flop, mislukking, sof, wanprestatie, zeper

An event that does not accomplish its intended purpose.

Polish: klęska, porażka, przegrana

Lack of success.

A person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently.

synonyms: loser, nonstarter, unsuccessful person.

Dutch: kneus, kneusje, loser, mislukkeling, pechvogel, schipbreukeling, schlemiel, verliezer, wanboffer
Polish: nieudałota, nieudacznik

An unexpected omission.

Inability to discharge all your debts as they come due:
— Fraudulent loans led to the failure of many banks.

synonym: bankruptcy.

Roget 808: nonpayment; default, defalcation; protest, repudiation; application of the sponge^†; whitewashing.    insolvency, bankruptcy, failure; insufficiency etc. 640; run upon a bank; overdrawn account.    waste paper bonds; dishonored bills, protested bills; bogus check, bogus cheque, rubber check.    bankrupt, insolvent, debtor, lame duck, man of straw, welsher, stag, defaulter, levanter^†.    ... show more

Roget 732: failure; nonsuccess^†, nonfulfillment; dead failure, successlessness^†; abortion, miscarriage; brutum fulmen etc. 158 [Lat.]; labor in vain etc. (inutility) 645; no go; inefficacy^†; inefficaciousness etc. adj.; vain attempt, ineffectual attempt, abortive attempt, abortive efforts; flash in the pan, lame and impotent conclusion" [Othello]; frustration; slip 'twixt cup and lip etc. (disappointment) 509.    blunder etc. (mistake) 495; fault, omission, miss, oversight, slip, trip, stumble, claudication^†, footfall; false step, wrong step; faux pas [Fr.], titubation^†, b_evue [Fr.], faute [Fr.], lurch; botchery etc. (want of skill) 699^†; scrape, mess, fiasco, breakdown; flunk [U.S.].    mishap etc. (misfortune) 735; split, collapse, smash, blow, explosion.    repulse, rebuff, defeat, rout, overthrow, discomfiture; beating, drubbing; quietus, nonsuit^†, subjugation; checkmate, stalemate, fool's mate.    fall, downfall, ruin, perdition; wreck etc. (destruction) 162; deathblow; bankruptcy etc. (nonpayment) 808.    losing game, affaire flamb_ee.    victim; bankrupt; flunker^†, flunky [U.S.].    ... show more

Polish: bankructwo, krach, niewypłacalność, plajta, upadłość

Loss of ability to function normally.

Dutch: fout, faling
Polish: niewydolność