Phrase guide
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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
A notable let-down or flop; a concept, product, or person that has failed to live up to very high expectations.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, idiomatic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Popularised by The God that Failed (1949), a volume of essays by ex-communists critiquing communism.
