failed state

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noun

a nation in which the government has lost political authority and control and is unable to fulfill the basic responsibilities of a sovereign state.

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Origin of failed state

First recorded in 1990–95

Words nearby failed state

Faidherbe, faience, fail, failed, failed star, failed state, failing, faille, fail-safe, fail-soft, failure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use failed state in a sentence

This is the Mexico that has been called a “failed state” — most recently by Jose “Pepe” Mujica, the president of Uruguay.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The country is now set on a path towards becoming a failed state.
Yemen’s a Model All Right—For Disaster|Michael Shank , Casey Harrity|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After all of its efforts to undermine the U.S. mission, Tehran now has a violent, semi-failed state right on its border.
Iran Is the Biggest Loser in Iraq|Aki Peritz|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Against Corruption—of the Democracy: Congress, Stockman believes, is a failed state.
D.C. Needs a Grassroots Fix That Will Come When Left and Right Find Common Ground|Lawrence Lessig|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This will turn Syria into a Somalia-like failed state and a battleground for a proxy war.
A Plea for Peace in Syria|Majid Rafizadeh|September 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for failed state

failed state

noun

a weak state where social and political structures have collapsed to the point where the government has little or no control

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012