Meaning & use
fiasco
Last updated
UK/fiˈæskəʊ/
US/fiˈæskoʊ/
Meaning
nouncountable
An event or plan that goes completely wrong in a way that is embarrassing or ridiculous.
Grammar: Takes an or the: the party was a fiasco.
Patterns
- a fiasco of something
- turn into a fiasco
The school concert turned into a fiasco when the microphone failed.
Our camping trip was a complete fiasco from start to finish.
The company's product launch was a public fiasco.
Word forms
| plural | fiascos |
|---|
Common combinations
- complete fiasco
- The meeting was a complete fiasco.
- total fiasco
- The wedding photos were a total fiasco.
- turn into a fiasco
- A simple dinner turned into a fiasco.
- avoid a fiasco
- Good planning will help us avoid a fiasco.
- public fiasco
- The mayor's speech became a public fiasco.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disaster
- Disaster is stronger and can involve real harm, while a fiasco is usually embarrassing rather than tragic.
- debacle
- Debacle is more formal and suggests a collapse or defeat, often on a large scale.
- flop
- Flop is informal and simply means something that did not succeed, without the embarrassment of a fiasco.
- shambles
- Shambles describes a state of confusion and disorder rather than the event as a whole.
Opposites
Word family
- fiascoes noun
- an alternative plural form of fiasco
Commonly confused: fiasco or fracas?
fiasco vs fracas
A fracas is a noisy fight or quarrel, while a fiasco is a complete failure.
Practice
The outdoor concert was a ______ when heavy rain cut the power and sent everyone home.
Choose one answer.
A fiasco is a total, embarrassing failure, which matches a ruined event. A triumph is the opposite, a great success.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fiasco”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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