lead balloon

ADJECTIVE

flat

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bland dead lifeless stale weak

STRONG

blah blind boring drab matte vanilla

WEAK

banal colorless dim draggy flavorless ho-hum inane innocuous insipid jejune monotonous muted pointless prosaic prosy sapless spiritless tasteless tedious uninteresting unpalatable unsavory unseasoned vapid watery white-bread

Antonyms

STRONG

exciting

WEAK

bubbly effervescent sharp tasty

NOUN

failure

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bankruptcy breakdown collapse decline defeat deficiency deterioration failing loss misstep

STRONG

abortion bomb botch bungle bust checkmate decay deficit downfall fiasco flop frustration implosion inadequacy lemon loser mess misadventure miscarriage nonperformance overthrow rout rupture stalemate stoppage turkey washout wreck

WEAK

false step faux pas flash in the pan nonsuccess sinking ship total loss

Antonyms

STRONGEST

betterment improvement increase rise success win

STRONG

accomplishment benefit blessing continuation enough plenty triumph

WEAK

achievement achiever attainment earnings gain merit

NOUN

insolvency

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bankruptcy breakdown deterioration implosion inadequacy rupture

STRONG

bomb botch bungle bust checkmate collapse decay decline defeat deficiency deficit downfall failing fiasco flop frustration lemon loser loss mess misadventure miscarriage misstep nonperformance overthrow rout stalemate stoppage turkey washout wreck

WEAK

false step faux pas flash in the pan nonsuccess sinking ship total loss

Antonyms

STRONG

accomplishment achievement advantage ascent benefit blessing continuation enough improvement increase plenty rise strength success triumph win

NOUN

nonfeasance

Synonyms

STRONG

abortion bankruptcy bomb botch breakdown bungle bust checkmate collapse decay decline default defeat deficiency deficit delinquency dereliction deterioration downfall failing fiasco flop frustration implosion inadequacy lemon loser loss mess misadventure miscarriage misstep neglect nonperformance omission overthrow rout rupture stalemate stoppage turkey washout wreck

WEAK

false step faux pas flash in the pan nonsuccess sinking ship total loss

Antonyms

STRONG

accomplishment achievement adequacy advantage ascent benefit betterment blessing continuation development enough improvement increase perfection plenty rise satisfaction strength success sufficiency triumph win

NOUN

unsuccess

Synonyms

WEAK

abortion bankruptcy bomb botch breakdown bungle bust checkmate collapse decay decline defeat deficiency deficit deterioration downfall failing false step faux pas fiasco flash in the pan flop frustration implosion inadequacy lemon loser loss mess misadventure miscarriage misstep nonperformance nonsuccess overthrow rout rupture sinking ship stalemate stoppage total loss turkey unsuccessfulness washout wreck

NOUN

unsuccessfulness

Synonyms

WEAK

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His proposal went over like a lead balloon.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Arizona shot 49% for the game, but had a key stretch making seven straight shots that saw a four-point lead balloon to 22 in a hurry.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 10, 2022

I like seating couples apart, so that we might all visit with more people than we see daily, but this has gone over like a lead balloon.

From Washington Post • Aug. 19, 2021

"This went down like a lead balloon," she said.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2021

A quick survey of what little press attention Bush’s proposals garnered indicates they landed like a lead balloon.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2016

lead balloon

Example Sentences

Related Words