Word
debacle
Phoneticsde·ba·cle, stress on the second syllable
US/dəˈbɑkəɫ/
UK/deɪbˈɑːkəl/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a complete failure or a situation that is a total mess. It is often used when something that was supposed to be successful goes very wrong in an embarrassing way.
n. a sudden and humiliating failure or downfall, especially of a public undertaking. Often carries connotations of disorder, ridicule, or scandal.
Examples
“The product launch was a complete debacle.”
“The political campaign descended into a debacle after the candidate's email leaked to the press.”
“Investors lost millions in the financial debacle that followed the company's premature expansion into international markets without sufficient research.”
Examples
simple
“The product launch was a complete debacle.”
contextual
“The political campaign descended into a debacle after the candidate's email leaked to the press.”
complex
“Investors lost millions in the financial debacle that followed the company's premature expansion into international markets without sufficient research.”
Real-World Examples
“After the Gordie Howe Bridge deal debacle, Canadians are right to be skeptical of him, even though polling shows that, right now, they’re supporting his position.” “Blair’s extraordinary two-hour press conference came after Chilcot, a retired civil servant, published his long-awaited report into the Iraq debacle.” “Here is a tidbit which will add to the government's misery over the West Coast rail debacle.” Etymology
From French débâcle, from débâcler (“to unbar; unleash”) from prefix dé- (“un-”) + bâcler (“to dash, bind, bar, block”) [perhaps from unattested Middle French and Old French bâcler, bacler (“to hold in place, prop a door or window open”)], from Vulgar Latin bacculare, from Latin baculum (“rod, staff used for support”), from Proto-Indo-European bak-. Also attested in Old French desbacler (“to clear a harbour by getting ships unloaded to make room for incoming ships with lading”) and in Occitan baclar (“to close”). The hypothesised derivation from Middle Dutch bakkelen (“to freeze artificially, lock in place”), a frequentative of bakken (“to stick, stick hard, glue together”) no longer seems likely due to the lack of attestation of bakkelen in Middle Dutch and by it having the limited meaning of "freeze superficially" in Dutch.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/debacle