Definition

Noun: 1. A complete and humiliating failure: An event or endeavor that fails in a sudden, total, and often embarrassing way. 2. A sudden and violent collapse: A dramatic and disastrous breakdown of a plan, performance, or situation.

Usage and Examples

• The product launch was a complete fiasco; the website crashed, and the demo failed.
• After months of planning, the outdoor wedding turned into a fiasco when a thunderstorm hit.
• The company's attempt to enter the new market ended in fiasco, resulting in significant financial losses.

Advanced Usage

• To be a fiasco: Describes something that has failed utterly.
  • The new policy rollout was a total fiasco from start to finish.
• To end in (a) fiasco: Describes the conclusion of an event as a failure.
  • The peace talks ended in fiasco after just one day.

Variants and Related Words

• Fiascoes/Fiascos (n): Both are accepted plural forms of "fiasco."

Synonyms

• Debacle: A sudden and disastrous collapse or defeat.
• Catastrophe: A great and sudden disaster.
• Disaster: A sudden event causing great damage or loss.
• Flop: An informal term for a complete failure, especially in entertainment or business.

Antonyms

• Success: The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
• Triumph: A great victory or achievement.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• A recipe for a fiasco: A situation or plan that is very likely to fail disastrously.
  • Trying to organize a concert with no budget was a recipe for a fiasco.

Noun

1. a sudden and violent collapse