completely unsuccessful

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "completely unsuccessful" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation or effort that has failed entirely without any success. Example: "Despite their best efforts, the project was completely unsuccessful in achieving its goals."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

13 human-written examples

Anyway, it was completely unsuccessful".

The Guardian - Lifestyle

"The United States tried to do a little bit to help them out, and so far we've been completely unsuccessful".

The New York Times

Mr. Tetlock calls these modestly successful forecasters "foxes," as opposed to the completely unsuccessful ones, whom he calls "hedgehogs".

The New York Times

Though his party was completely unsuccessful at the polls, Szálasi continued his radical, nationalistic agitations, later helped by German support.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Without horses, it was an unrealistic expectation, and Wilder was completely unsuccessful — an experience that left him seething with anger.

The New York Times

But that smokescreen would have been completely unsuccessful had auditors from Arthur Andersen forced the company to disclose what was happening, as they should have done.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

All were unsuccessful.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Some victims report they've been unsuccessful in completely cleaning up the mess, according to the Ogden Standard-Examiner.

Huffington Post

"Badgers are no more than a minor player when it comes to bovine TB... culling them is a completely pointless, unscientific and ultimately unsuccessful way of dealing with this small percentage of infectious badgers," he said.

BBC

As the dust settled on the non-government shutdown, Stephen Colbert took the opportunity to highlight some of the most outrageous comments made during the Republicans' unsuccessful bid to completely defund Planned Parenthood.

Huffington Post

All three bids were unsuccessful.

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a project or experiment's outcome, use "completely unsuccessful" to emphasize the total absence of positive results. This highlights the need for a different approach or strategy in the future.

Common error

Avoid using "completely unsuccessful" when there were minor achievements or partial success. Use softer terms like "partially successful" or "moderately unsuccessful" if some goals were met.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "completely unsuccessful" functions as an adjectival phrase that modifies a noun, describing something that has failed entirely. As Ludwig AI confirms, this is a standard and usable phrase in English.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

37%

Science

31%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Wiki

8%

Formal & Business

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "completely unsuccessful" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression that highlights a total lack of success. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it’s appropriate for describing situations where attempts or efforts have yielded no positive results. Predominantly found in news, science, and encyclopedic contexts, this phrase serves to emphasize the degree of failure. When writing, it's important to use this phrase accurately, reserving it for scenarios where there's genuinely no element of success. For scenarios with partial success, milder terms like "partially successful" are more appropriate. Alternatives include "utterly futile" and "totally ineffective".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

utterly futile

Emphasizes the pointlessness and lack of any positive outcome.

totally ineffective

Highlights the absence of any desired effect or impact.

entirely failed

Focuses on the absolute failure to achieve a specific goal or outcome.

wholly unproductive

Stresses the lack of any useful or beneficial results.

fruitless endeavor

Implies that the effort invested did not yield any positive results.

abortive attempt

Suggests the attempt was cut short or failed before completion.

dead loss

Indicates that something is a complete waste of time, effort, or resources.

failed miserably

Emphasizes the poor and ignominious nature of the failure.

came to nothing

Highlights that a plan or effort produced no valuable results.

didn't work out at all

A more informal way of saying that something was unsuccessful.

FAQs

What are some alternatives to saying "completely unsuccessful"?

You can use alternatives like "utterly futile", "totally ineffective", or "entirely failed" depending on the context.

Is it grammatically correct to say "completely unsuccessful"?

Yes, the phrase "completely unsuccessful" is grammatically correct and commonly used to describe something that has failed entirely.

When should I use the phrase "completely unsuccessful"?

Use "completely unsuccessful" when you want to emphasize that an attempt or effort did not achieve any of its intended goals and had no positive results.

What is the difference between "unsuccessful" and "completely unsuccessful"?

"Unsuccessful" indicates a lack of success, while "completely unsuccessful" emphasizes a total failure without any degree of success. The addition of "completely" intensifies the degree of failure.