Meaning & use
opportunities missed
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
chances that were not taken and are now gone, often with regret
Grammar: Usually used as a noun phrase: 'opportunities missed' or 'missed opportunities' (the adjective can come before).
Patterns
- regret opportunities missed
- a list of opportunities missed
Looking back, he could see a long list of opportunities missed.
The report described the failure as a series of opportunities missed.
Common combinations
- a lot of opportunities missed
- There were a lot of opportunities missed in the early years.
- regret opportunities missed
- She did not want to regret opportunities missed later in life.
- opportunities missed and lessons learned
- The book is about opportunities missed and lessons learned.
- missed opportunity
- The whole project was a missed opportunity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- missed chances
- A more general phrase; 'opportunities missed' often suggests a more formal or reflective tone.
- lost opportunities
- Similar, but 'lost' can suggest they were taken away by outside forces, while 'missed' suggests you failed to take them.
Word family
- opportunity noun
- A chance to do something.
- miss verb
- To fail to take an opportunity.
Commonly confused: opportunities missed or missed opportunities?
opportunities missed vs missed opportunities
This is the more common word order. 'Opportunities missed' is used for emphasis or in titles, but 'missed opportunities' is more usual in everyday speech.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase 'opportunities missed' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'opportunities missed' works well as a title or in a reflective list. Option 1 is wrong because 'took' contradicts 'missed'. Option 3 is nonsense. Option 4 is wrong because missed opportunities are usually regretted, not happy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “opportunities missed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.