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Unsuccessful vs. Fail — What's the Difference?

Unsuccessful vs. Fail — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Unsuccessful and Fail

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Unsuccessful

Having an unfavorable outcome
An unsuccessful venture.

Fail

Be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal
They failed to be ranked in the top ten
He failed in his attempt to secure election

Unsuccessful

Failing to attain something desired or intended
An unsuccessful entrepreneur.

Fail

Neglect to do something
The firm failed to give adequate risk warnings

Unsuccessful

Failed, not successful.
His unsuccessful attempt earned him sympathy, condolences, and an occasional good-natured ribbing.
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Fail

Cease to work properly; break down
A lorry whose brakes had failed

Unsuccessful

Not successful; not producing the desired event; not fortunate; meeting with, or resulting in, failure; unlucky; unhappy.

Fail

A mark which is not high enough to pass an examination or test
A fail grade

Unsuccessful

Not successful; having failed or having an unfavorable outcome

Fail

A mistake, failure, or instance of poor performance
His first product demo was full of fail
Their customer service is a massive fail

Unsuccessful

Failing to accomplish an intended result;
An abortive revolt
A stillborn plot to assassinate the President

Fail

To prove deficient or lacking; perform ineffectively or inadequately
Failed to fulfill their promises.
Failed in their attempt to reach the summit.

Fail

To be unsuccessful
An experiment that failed.

Fail

To be unsuccessful in being acted upon
An idea that failed to be accepted by the board.

Fail

To receive an academic grade below the acceptable minimum.

Fail

To prove insufficient in quantity or duration; give out
The water supply failed during the drought.

Fail

To decline, as in strength or effectiveness
The light began to fail.

Fail

To cease functioning properly
The engine failed.

Fail

To give way or be made otherwise useless as a result of excessive strain
The rusted girders failed and caused the bridge to collapse.

Fail

To become bankrupt or insolvent
Their business failed during the last recession.

Fail

To disappoint or prove undependable to
Our sentries failed us.

Fail

To abandon; forsake
His strength failed him.

Fail

To omit to perform (an expected duty, for example)
We must not fail our obligation to the earthquake victims.

Fail

To leave undone; neglect
Failed to wash the dishes.

Fail

To receive an academic grade below the acceptable minimum in (a course, for example)
Failed algebra twice.

Fail

To give such a grade of failure to (a student)
Failed me in algebra.

Fail

To be detected by (a drug test) as having used a banned substance.

Fail

A failing grade
The student received a fail on the final paper.

Fail

(Informal) Something that does not achieve the desired result; a failure
My first attempt to make flourless cookies was a big fail.

Fail

(intransitive) To be unsuccessful.
Throughout my life, I have always failed.

Fail

(transitive) Not to achieve a particular stated goal. (Usage note: The direct object of this word is usually an infinitive.)
The truck failed to start.

Fail

(transitive) To neglect.
The report fails to take into account all the mitigating factors.

Fail

(intransitive) Of a machine, etc.: to cease to operate correctly.
After running five minutes, the engine failed.

Fail

(transitive) To be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert; to disappoint one's expectations.

Fail

(ambitransitive) To receive one or more non-passing grades in academic pursuits.
I failed English last year.

Fail

(transitive) To give a student a non-passing grade in an academic endeavour.
The professor failed me because I did not complete any of the course assignments.

Fail

To miss attaining; to lose.

Fail

To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence.
The crops failed last year.

Fail

(archaic) To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; used with of.

Fail

(archaic) To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.

Fail

(archaic) To deteriorate in respect to vigour, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker.
A sick man fails.

Fail

(obsolete) To perish; to die; used of a person.

Fail

(obsolete) To err in judgment; to be mistaken.

Fail

To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.

Fail

(slang) A failure condition of being unsuccessful.

Fail

A failure something incapable of success.

Fail

A failure, especially of a financial transaction a termination of an action.

Fail

A failing grade in an academic examination.

Fail

Poor quality; substandard workmanship.
The project was full of fail.

Fail

A piece of turf cut from grassland.

Fail

Unsuccessful; inadequate; unacceptable in some way.

Fail

To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to be furnished in the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut off from supply; to be lacking; as, streams fail; crops fail.
As the waters fail from the sea.
Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not reign.

Fail

To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; - used with of.
If ever they fail of beauty, this failure is not be attributed to their size.

Fail

To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.
When earnestly they seekSuch proof, conclude they then begin to fail.

Fail

To deteriorate in respect to vigor, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker; as, a sick man fails.

Fail

To perish; to die; - used of a person.
Had the king in his last sickness failed.

Fail

To be found wanting with respect to an action or a duty to be performed, a result to be secured, etc.; to miss; not to fulfill expectation.
Take heed now that ye fail not to do this.
Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale.

Fail

To come short of a result or object aimed at or desired ; to be baffled or frusrated.
Our envious foe hath failed.

Fail

To err in judgment; to be mistaken.
Which ofttimes may succeed, so as perhapsShall grieve him, if I fail not.

Fail

To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent; as, many credit unions failed in the late 1980's.

Fail

To be wanting to ; to be insufficient for; to disappoint; to desert.
There shall not fail thee a man on the throne.

Fail

To miss of attaining; to lose.
Though that seat of earthly bliss be failed.

Fail

Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; - mostly superseded by failure or failing, except in the phrase without fail.

Fail

Death; decease.

Fail

Fail to do something; leave something undone;
She failed to notice that her child was no longer in his crib
The secretary failed to call the customer and the company lost the account

Fail

Be unsuccessful;
Where do today's public schools fail?
The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably

Fail

Disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake;
His sense of smell failed him this time
His strength finally failed him
His children failed him in the crisis

Fail

Stop operating or functioning;
The engine finally went
The car died on the road
The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town
The coffee maker broke
The engine failed on the way to town
Her eyesight went after the accident

Fail

Be unable;
I fail to understand your motives

Fail

Judge unacceptable;
The teacher failed six students

Fail

Fail to get a passing grade;
She studied hard but failed nevertheless
Did I fail the test?

Fail

Fall short in what is expected;
She failed in her obligations as a good daughter-in-law
We must not fail his obligation to the victims of the Holocaust

Fail

Become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close;
The toy company went bankrupt after the competition hired cheap Mexican labor
A number of banks failed that year

Fail

Prove insufficient;
The water supply for the town failed after a long drought

Fail

Get worse;
Her health is declining

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