Bad / Mistake

verb

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squander - To waste something, such as money or time, in a reckless and foolish manner

Many lottery winners end up squandering their fortune and returning to their life of poverty.

noun

See verb

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unforgivable - So bad as to be unable to be forgiven or excused

He was fired because the company felt that stealing money was an unforgivable act.

adjective

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excessive - Going beyond what is considered acceptable or appropriate.

He was fined for driving at an excessive speed through a school zone.

noun

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boondoggle - Work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value

When the funds dried up before the bridge could be finished, it turned into an expensive boondoggle that couldn't transport anybody.

noun

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futility - the quality being ineffective, useless, unsuccessful, and achieving nothing.

Elon Musk confronted the common attitude regarding the futility of going to Mars, and is proving them wrong.

verb

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overreach - To go beyond what is proper, reasonable, or safe—especially in power or ambition; to stretch too far and fail as a result.

The company overreached by expanding too quickly and ended up in debt.

verb

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botch - To carry out a task badly or carelessly

Eric botched the assignment that he was asked to do, so his supervisor had to reprimand him.

noun

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mixup - An error resulting from things being wrongly arranged or identified.

There was a mix-up at the airport, and my luggage went to the wrong city.

adjective

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spurious - False and incorrect

The teacher showed Max that his scientific conclusions were wrong because they were based on spurious facts and logic.

verb

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flunk - To fail to reach the required standard in an examination, test, or course of study

Ron hid his school test from his mother because he didn't want her to know he had flunked it.

noun

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fiasco - A thing that is a complete failure, especially in a ludicrous or humiliating way

In the 1980s, Coca-Cola released New Coke, which ended up being one of the costliest business fiascos ever.

noun

See verb

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flop - A failure

When no one bought tickets for the play after opening night, the producer realized that it was going to be a flop.