Exhaustion (7) Crossword Clue
Answer: FAILURE (7 letters)
The answer to the crossword clue "Exhaustion" with 7 letters is "FAILURE".Failure can refer to exhaustion when something gives out or stops working due to strain or overuse. It describes a situation where a system, effort, or body becomes too depleted to continue functioning, ultimately resulting in collapse or breakdown.
Why "Failure" Fits
The clue asks for a single word (7 letters) meaning "exhaustion." The answer, FAILURE, is a suitable match as it captures a specific kind of exhaustion—when something (or someone) ceases to perform due to depletion, breakdown, or inability to continue.
- Exhaustion: Failure is commonly used in medicine, engineering, and everyday language to describe the state where a system, organism, or effort reaches exhaustion and stops working—matching the clue’s definition.
- Direct match: With seven letters, failure fits the enumeration precisely.
- Precise meaning: The word denotes breakdown, inability to perform, or total depletion—whether physical, mechanical, or emotional.
Failure is central in both technical language and discussion about personal or organizational performance:
Origin and usage:
- From Old French faillir (“to fail, be lacking”), entering English in the medieval period.
- Used for cases where something reaches the point of collapse or exhaustion (e.g., “heart failure,” “system failure,” “muscle failure”).
Examples and context:
- “Heart failure is exhaustion of the heart’s ability to pump blood.”
- “Repeated stress led to the bridge’s structural failure.”
- “Failure to rest caused his exhaustion during the marathon.”
In quick crosswords like “Exhaustion (7),” clues for breakdown or depletion rely on short, impactful nouns:
Definition: “Exhaustion” often signals total collapse, breakdown, or inability to continue—failure is a general yet powerful word for this endpoint.
Clue type: Direct synonym; relies on broader meaning (systems, efforts, health).
Solving approach:
- For seven-letter nouns tied to collapse, breakdown, or depletion: failure stands out, as alternatives like "fatigue" (7) or "weariness" (9) are narrower or do not always imply a total breakdown.
Crossword pattern: Nouns for endpoint states—failure, collapse, fatigue, burnout—are often used in puzzles with physical or metaphorical clues.
