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nonachiever

nonachiever

7.0
A person who does less well than expected for their abilities
  • noun
  • /ˌnɒnəˈtʃivər/
translation icon : no triunfador
  • Many parents worry that their children might become nonachievers if they do not receive enough support in their studies.
  • achievers and nonachievers

Examples

  • In terms of achievement, youth were designated as achievers (increased literacy level at least 1 grade level) or nonachievers (did not increase literacy level at least 1 grade level).

    Academic text (2001)
  • Despite his intelligence, he was labeled a nonachiever because he rarely participated in class activities.

  • The teacher noticed that several students in her class were nonachievers, often not completing their assignments.

Synonyms

failure
vsnonachiever
  • Offensive
405 2.7

A person who does not succeed at things they try

views lack of success relative to ability rather than as a fixed identity
underachiever
vsnonachiever
11 4.6

A person, often a student, who gets lower grades than they could

describes failing to meet expected ability without implying repetition
underperformer
vsnonachiever
1 5.2

A person or company that does not do as well as others expect

focuses on individuals, especially students, not meeting their ability-based potential
born loser
vsnonachiever
  • Offensive
1 6.5

A person who often fails and seems unlucky

describes not meeting ability-based expectations rather than fixed destiny
unsuccessful person
vsnonachiever
1 4.2

A person who often fails to reach their goals

judges performance by ability and expected potential rather than achieved goals
nonstarter
vsnonachiever
  • Informal
1 7.6

A person who often fails and is not taken seriously

refers to not meeting expected ability rather than to being ignored or rejected
nonsuccess
vsnonachiever
6.6

A person who does not reach an important goal

measures lack of success against ability and expected performance instead of outcomes

Antonyms

18 3.2

A person who reaches their goals through hard work and skill

How Successful

overachiever
18 5.0
achiever
18 3.2
average
1.0
nonachiever
7.0

Surface Forms

nonachiever singular
nonachievers plural

Morphology

nonachiever = achiever (transparent) = non + achieve + er

The formation 'non-' + 'achiever' straightforwardly denotes someone who is not an achiever and is easily inferable by learners.

Etymology

The word nonachiever starts with non- meaning 'not' and the rest is achieve, which means 'to reach' or 'to succeed', so a nonachiever is someone who does not reach the success people expect from them.