stillborn project
1
7.7
- noun
- 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
130
3.6
A situation where no further progress or solution is possible
45
4.9
Something that has no chance of success
18
4.8
A project or organization that is failing and likely to collapse
13
6.7
An idea or plan that has no chance of success
2
7.0
Failure of a plan or project before it finishes
Antonyms
How Developed
765
3.7
∞
2.5
1
5.3
837
2.9
∞
1.0
1
7.7
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.