stillborn project
- noun
:
proyecto fallido
- The lack of stakeholder engagement rendered the new software initiative a stillborn project.
Examples
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Without adequate support, the stillborn project never moved beyond the planning stage.
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The new initiative was a stillborn project from the start.
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Many stillborn projects can be traced back to unrealistic expectations and poor preparation.
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This is a stillborn project.
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Many stillborn projects can be traced back to unrealistic expectations and poor preparation.
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The lack of stakeholder engagement rendered the new software initiative a stillborn project.
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Without adequate support, the stillborn project never moved beyond the planning stage.
Synonyms
91
3.6
A situation where no further progress or solution is possible
39
4.9
Something that has no chance of success
11
7.0
Failure of a plan or project before it finishes
10
4.8
A project or organization that is failing and likely to collapse
An idea or plan that has no chance of success
Antonyms
How Developed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'stillborn' (literally ‘born dead’) combined with 'project' yields a clear metaphorical image of a project that is dead at birth — i.e. fails before it has a chance to develop. This follows a transparent adjective + noun compositional pattern and is cross-linguistically plausible, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase stillborn project comes from the image of a baby born dead. A stillborn baby never gets a chance to live, so a stillborn project is a plan that 'fails before it even begins' or never moves past the first stage.