erfolgslos

Erfolgslos is a German adjective and adverb meaning without success or unsuccessful in achieving the desired result. It describes actions, plans, or endeavors that fail to yield the intended outcome. As an adjective, it can modify a noun (eine erfolglose Verhandlung, erfolglose Bemühungen). As an adverb it describes how something is done (Sie arbeitete erfolglos weiter). The term often signals persistence of failure rather than a single setback and is common in business, science, politics, and sport.

Etymology and form: the word is a compound of Erfolg (success) and los (without). The standard adjective form is erfolgslos, with inflected variants such as erfolglose (fem. nom. or plur.), erfolgloser (masc. nom.), and so on, depending on gender, case, and number.

Usage notes: erfolgslos emphasizes the absence of success rather than the act of failing. It frequently appears in formal or analytical writing, reports, and commentary. Related expressions include Erfolge and Erfolgslosigkeit (the state of being unsuccessful).

Examples:

- eine erfolglose Verhandlung

- ein erfolgloser Versuch

- erfolglose Bemühungen

- Sie arbeitete erfolglos weiter.

- Die Erfolgslosigkeit des Projekts wurde mehrfach diskutiert.

See also: Erfolg (success), Scheitern (failure), Misslingen (to miscarry), Erfolglosigkeit (state of being unsuccessful).