Word.ws English Dictionary

failed states

failed states is the plural of failed state.

Meaning of failed state

Noun

failed state (plural failed states)

  1. A state that has failed to meet the basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government; one that has lost physical control of its territory, the ability to provide public services, etc.
    • Against these stand the four national security arguments for intervention: fear of a rogue state, fear of a failed state, fear for the neighbours and fear for ourselves.2011, Rory Stewart, “Here we go again”, in London Review of Books, 33.VII

Questions about failed states

What is failed states the plural of?
Failed states is the plural of failed state.

Words near failed states in the dictionary

  1. failed open
  2. failed out
  3. failed over
  4. failed safe
  5. failed state
  6. failed states
  7. failed supernova
  8. failed up
  9. failed up the ladder
  10. failed upward
  11. failed upwards

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: failed states (page history and authors); failed state (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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