dead loss
Complete waste, hopeless
A dead loss is something or someone completely worthless or useless—a total waste with no redeeming value.
The phrase often describes failed investments or efforts that yield nothing: The whole project was a dead loss.
Applied to people, it's dismissive: He's a dead loss as a salesman.
More common in British English.
Humiliating public failure
- debacleSudden, complete failure
- disasterSudden ruinous event
- washoutComplete failure or cancellation
- flopComplete commercial failure
bust · nonstarter · dud · write-off · catastrophe · collapse · downfall · defeat
Without practical value
- futileIncapable of producing results
- pointlessLacking any purpose
- worthlessLacking any value
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
ineffective · waste of time · waste of money · waste of space · good-for-nothing · hopeless · unprofitable · fruitless
Impossible to regain
- unrecoverableImpossible to regain
- unsalvageableImpossible to recover
- irreparableCannot be fixed
- irredeemableImpossible to reform
beyond repair · gone · written off · sunk cost · irremediable
fiasco
Humiliating public failure
flop · bust · nonstarter · dud · write-off · catastrophe · collapse · downfall · defeat · blunder
useless
Without practical value
unproductive · ineffective · waste of time · waste of money · waste of space · good-for-nothing · hopeless · unprofitable · fruitless · unavailing
irretrievable
Impossible to regain
- unrecoverableImpossible to regain
- unsalvageableImpossible to recover
- irreparableCannot be fixed
irredeemable · beyond repair · gone · written off · sunk cost · irremediable
dead losswindfall
Unanticipated lucky gain
bonanza · jackpot · cash cow · net profit · break-even
dead lossasset
Item of value owned
godsend · invaluable · indispensable · lifesaver · competent
lose, lost, loss, death, deadly, loser, losing, losses, deaden