failed terribly

USAGE SUMMARY

"failed terribly" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a situation that did not go as planned or had an especially bad outcome. For example: "The project failed terribly and we had to start from scratch."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

12 human-written examples

The first phase failed terribly.

The New York Times - Sports

The Palestinians have failed terribly at moving in that direction.

The New York Times

"But technology can fail and in this case it failed terribly".

The New York Times

"If I have made you think that Hebron is in any way special, I have failed terribly," Shaul added.

The New Yorker

One good way to develop a plan is to do a pre-mortem: Take a team of people, and get half of them to imagine the plan has been put in motion and failed terribly.

Stanford University

Lawmakers should join him, reject the false attacks and act in the interests of the students, who have been failed terribly and must not be made to wait any longer.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

48 human-written examples

"It will be proved a gimmick if I come out and fail terribly today," she said.

The New York Times - Sports

"But no matter how much I may like them  that doesn't change my belief that their new electronic book reader will fail, and fail terribly".

The New York Times

10 03 Bezos starts by addressing the skepticism when Amazon first launched the Kindle --including comments that it would "fail and fail terribly". He shows a graph showing Amazon's print book sales versus Kindle book sales --paper slowly climbs north over 15 years, and then e-books are a hockey stick, overcoming them in just the last three years.

Forbes

Their Premier League relegation reminds us all that watching the rich fail terribly is one of England's favourite pastimes.

Vice

Reason 2: Learn to say "NO" and stop impressing others In all my years on earth, anytime I tried to impress other people, I fail terribly at it.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider the audience and context when using this phrase, as it can convey a strong negative emotion. Choose synonyms if a more neutral tone is desired.

Common error

While "failed terribly" is acceptable, overuse can make your writing sound melodramatic. In formal contexts, consider using more objective alternatives like "did not succeed" or "fell short of expectations".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "failed terribly" functions as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb. It intensifies the verb "failed", indicating the magnitude or severity of the failure. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a valid way to describe a significantly unsuccessful outcome.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

61%

Academia

16%

Wiki

6%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Science

3%

Formal & Business

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "failed terribly" is a grammatically correct and commonly used adverbial phrase that intensifies the meaning of "failed". As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a proper expression to describe an outcome that went significantly wrong. It is most frequently found in news and media, with considerable usage in academia as well. While appropriate for many contexts, be mindful of the tone and consider more formal alternatives in certain academic settings. Remember to use it to emphasize the magnitude and severity of a failure, and be conscious of the emotional impact it can have on your audience.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

completely failed

This alternative replaces "terribly" with "completely" to emphasize the extent of the failure.

failed miserably

This alternative replaces "terribly" with "miserably", adding an emotional tone to the failure.

utterly failed

This alternative uses "utterly" to amplify the degree of failure.

failed abysmally

This alternative replaces "terribly" with "abysmally", suggesting a profound depth of failure.

was a complete failure

This alternative rephrases the sentence to focus on the result as a "complete failure".

was a dismal failure

This alternative uses "dismal" to describe the failure, highlighting its bleakness.

fell flat

This alternative idiomatically describes a failure to achieve the intended effect.

went wrong

A more generic way to indicate failure with a cause.

bombed

This alternative uses a slang term to describe a complete and utter failure.

crashed and burned

This alternative idiomatically describes a failure that is spectacular and devastating.

FAQs

How can I use "failed terribly" in a sentence?

You can use "failed terribly" to describe a situation or endeavor that was unsuccessful in a significant way. For example: "The new product launch "failed terribly", resulting in substantial losses for the company."

What are some alternatives to "failed terribly"?

Alternatives include "completely failed", "failed miserably", or "utterly failed". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is "failed terribly" too informal for academic writing?

While not strictly incorrect, "failed terribly" might be perceived as too informal for some academic contexts. Consider using more formal alternatives like "did not achieve the desired outcome" or "was unsuccessful in its aims".

What's the difference between "failed terribly" and "failed completely"?

"Failed terribly" emphasizes the degree of failure, suggesting it was particularly bad. "Failed completely" focuses on the totality of the failure, indicating that nothing was achieved. The choice depends on whether you want to highlight the severity or the lack of success.