好词典

failure

UK //ˈfeɪljə(r)//US //ˈfeɪljər//

词源

源自中古法语 faillir(意为'缺乏,不足'),最终来自拉丁语 fallere(欺骗,使失望)。13世纪进入英语,最初指'不足',后发展出现代含义。

noun

❶ 指未能达到预期目标或标准的情况,可以指具体事件或抽象概念,常带有负面含义但也可用于中性描述。

“The experiment ended in failure due to incorrect measurements.”

(由于测量错误,实验以失败告终。)

“She views every failure as a learning opportunity.”

(她把每次失败都视为学习的机会。)

❶ 指未能履行责任或义务的人或事物,常用于正式场合或批评性描述。

“The manager called the project team a complete failure.”

(经理称项目团队彻底失职。)

“This printer is a failure – it jams every day.”

(这台打印机是个废品——天天卡纸。)

同义词:defeat, collapse, fiasco, breakdown, miscarriage

常见短语

failure to — 表示未能做某事,常用于法律文件或正式报告,强调未尽义务。

“Failure to submit the form on time will result in penalties.”

(未按时提交表格将导致处罚。)

heart failure — 医学专有名词,指心脏无法正常泵血的严重病症。

“The patient was hospitalized with acute heart failure.”

(患者因急性心力衰竭住院治疗。)