Meaning & use
utter failure
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Meanings
phrasecountable
A complete and total lack of success; something that has failed in every way.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it can take 'a' or 'an' or be plural: an utter failure, utter failures.
Patterns
- be an utter failure
- end in utter failure
- an utter failure as something
The plan was an utter failure, and the company lost millions.
His first attempt at cooking a turkey was an utter failure.
The negotiations ended in utter failure after both sides refused to compromise.
phrasecountable
A person who is completely unsuccessful at a particular role or task.
Grammar: Often used with 'as': an utter failure as a manager.
Patterns
- an utter failure as something
He felt like an utter failure as a father when he missed his daughter's birthday.
She was an utter failure as a salesperson because she hated talking to strangers.
Common combinations
- complete and utter failure
- The project was a complete and utter failure from start to finish.
- utter failure to do something
- The government's utter failure to act on climate change angered many voters.
- an utter failure as
- He was an utter failure as a leader and resigned after two months.
- end in utter failure
- The rescue mission ended in utter failure when the boat capsized.
Synonyms and how they differ
- total failure
- Very similar, but slightly less emphatic than 'utter failure'.
- disaster
- Stronger and more dramatic; often used for events, not people.
- fiasco
- A ridiculous or humiliating failure; more informal and often used in the press.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: utter failure or utter?
utter failure vs utter
As an adjective, 'utter' means complete (utter nonsense); as a verb, it means to say something aloud (utter a word).
Practice
Which sentence uses 'utter failure' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option B fits because 'utter failure' means complete lack of success, and the sentence describes a disastrous party. Option A contradicts itself (a great time is not a failure). Option C uses 'failure of joy', which is not natural. Option D is missing the article 'an' before 'utter failure'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “utter failure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.