noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK:/fiˈæs.kəʊ/
General-American:/fiˈæs.koʊ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:F IY0 AE1 S K OW0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A sudden or unexpected failure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The event turned into a complete fiasco when the power went out.
His speech was a fiasco that left the audience confused.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A ludicrous or humiliating situation. Some effort that went quite wrong.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: debacle
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A wine bottle in a (usually straw) jacket.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a sudden and violent collapse
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: debacle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: collapse
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian fiasco (“bottle, flask”), from Late Latin flasca, flascō (“bottle, container”), from Frankish *flaskā (“bottle, flask”) from Proto-Germanic *flaskǭ (“bottle”); see flask. “Failure” sense comes through French faire fiasco from Italian theatrical slang far fiasco (literally “to make a bottle”), of uncertain origin; perhaps from an expression fare il fiasco, meaning to play a game with the forfeit that the loser will buy the next bottle or round of drinks. Doublet of flacon, flagon, and flask.
Across languages
Translations
37 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
фиа́ско
(fiásko)
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Catalan:
fiasco
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Chinese Mandarin:
慘敗 /惨败
(cǎnbài)
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Czech:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Danish:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Esperanto:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Esperanto:
fuŝafero
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Estonian:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Finnish:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
French:
fiasco
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
German:
Fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Greek:
φιάσκο
(fiásko)
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Ancient Greek:
διατροπή
(diatropḗ)
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Hungarian:
fiaskó
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Icelandic:
fíaskó
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Italian:
fiasco
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Japanese:
わや
(waya)
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Latvian:
fiasks
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Macedonian:
фија́ско
(fijásko)
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Māori:
hanepītanga
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Norwegian:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Polish:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Polish:
klęska
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Polish:
poruta
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Portuguese:
fiasco
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Portuguese:
fracasso
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Russian:
фиа́ско
(fiásko)
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Serbo-Croatian:
фијаско
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Serbo-Croatian:
fijasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Slovak:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Slovene:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Spanish:
fiasco
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Spanish:
fracaso
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Swedish:
fiasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Swedish:
pannkaka
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Turkish:
fiyasko
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
Ukrainian:
фиа́ско
(fyásko)
— ludicrous or humiliating situation
