poor success

USAGE SUMMARY

"poor success" is an appropriate phrase to use in written English.
It typically refers to someone or something achieving an inadequate or unsatisfactory outcome. For example, "He was disappointed with his poor success in the race, despite his best efforts."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

But we've had very poor success catching birds.

The New York Times

This poor success rate provides a strong argument against closed-door design.

University of California, Berkeley

Conventional inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) has a poor success rate in inflamed pulps.

Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology

Co-culture remains a burgeoning frontier despite poor success of initial studies.

Aquaculture

Not that the poor success rate has done anything to stem the flow of wannabes.

The Guardian

I think that rich or poor, success is all about the messages that parents and mentors give children throughout life.

The New York Times

Clinics should not offer egg freezing to women over 40 because of poor success rates, the fertility watchdog has said.

The Times

The poor success and high dropout rates of RGP lens wear in this study stress the importance and need for further investigations of such lenses.

Contact Lens and Anterior Eye

The poor success rate of discovering new, effective chemotherapeutics for oncology may reflect the failure of targeting treatments to the more aggressive, tumorigenic cells of the malignancy.

Current Opinion in Pharmacology

Most companies are deterred from appealing because of the poor success rate in overturning rulings and the years it takes for an appeal to be considered.

The New York Times

Unlike the relationship between being a boy and poor success in life, the relationship between coming from a poor household and poor adult life chances really is strong.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a project or strategy's effectiveness, use "poor success" to accurately reflect results that fall short of expectations, offering a candid assessment of its shortcomings.

Common error

Avoid using "poor success" when the intention is to convey complete failure. "Poor success" suggests some level of accomplishment, albeit inadequate. For complete failure, use "failure" or "complete lack of success".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "poor success" functions as a descriptive term, where the adjective 'poor' modifies the noun 'success'. Ludwig AI identifies its primary role as qualifying the degree or quality of an achievement, indicating it fell short of expectations.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

35%

Academia

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "poor success" is a grammatically sound phrase used to describe situations where the outcome is less than satisfactory. As Ludwig AI highlights, its usage spans across diverse fields like science, news, and academia to objectively evaluate results. While the phrase is generally correct, it's important to distinguish it from 'complete failure', ensuring accurate representation of the situation. When writing, consider using alternative phrases like "limited success" or "lack of success" for nuanced expression. Remember, according to the guidelines, "poor success" indicates some accomplishment, however inadequate.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

lack of success

Directly states the absence of a positive outcome.

unsuccessful attempt

Emphasizes the effort made despite the lack of a favorable result.

suboptimal results

Implies that the results obtained were below the expected or desired standard.

limited success

Indicates a partial achievement, where some success was attained but not to the desired extent.

limited achievement

Similar to "limited success", but places emphasis on the achievement aspect.

meager success

Highlights the small quantity or insignificant nature of the success achieved.

disappointing outcome

Focuses on the negative emotional response to the lack of success.

inadequate performance

Highlights that the performance was not up to the required level.

failure

A more absolute term indicating a complete absence of success.

deficient outcome

Stresses the incompleteness or inadequacy of the result.

FAQs

How can I use "poor success" in a sentence?

You can use "poor success" to describe situations where efforts did not yield the desired results. For instance, "The project suffered "poor success" due to unforeseen challenges".

What are some alternatives to "poor success"?

Depending on the context, you could use "limited success", "lack of success", or "disappointing outcome" to convey a similar meaning.

Is "poor success" grammatically correct?

Yes, "poor success" is grammatically correct. "Poor" is an adjective modifying the noun "success", indicating the quality or degree of success achieved.

What's the difference between "poor success" and "complete failure"?

"Poor success" implies that some level of success was achieved, though it was inadequate or below expectations. "Complete failure", on the other hand, means there was absolutely no success at all.