epäonnistuneiden

Epäonnistuneiden is the genitive plural form of the Finnish past participle epäonnistunut, meaning "failed" or "unsuccessful." In Finnish usage it refers to a group of people or things that have failed in some undertaking and is typically used with a following noun in a genitive relation, for example epäonnistuneiden suunnitelmien vaikutukset (the effects of the failed plans). The base form epäonnistunut declines as epäonnistuneet (nominative plural), epäonnistuneiden (genitive plural), epäonnistuneita (partitive plural), and so on, with epäonnistuneiden signaling possession or association with another noun in the genitive case.

Usage and nuance: The term carries a negative connotation and can be pejorative when applied to people. In neutral or formal writing, it is common to specify the noun, for example epäonnistuneet henkilöt or epäonnistuneet projektit, rather than using a bare genitive form. The phrase can also describe outcomes rather than people, as in epäonnistuneiden projektien seuraukset (the consequences of the failed projects).

Etymology and grammar: The word is formed from prefix epä- “not” and the verb onnistua “to succeed,” giving the sense of failure. As a participle, it inflects like other Finnish adjectives and participles, allowing it to function as part of noun phrases or as a modifier for other nouns.

Related concepts include epäonnistuminen (failure) and onnistu- (to succeed). The term is primarily a descriptive linguistic tool and its acceptability depends on context and tone.