01
erfolglos
unsuccessful
Without the desired success; not leading to the goal.
example
Nach mehreren erfolglosen Versuchen gab er schließlich auf.
After several unsuccessful attempts, he finally gave up.
erfolglos
unsuccessful
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is easy to understand if you know its structure: it consists of 'der Erfolg' (success) and the ending '-los' (-less), which means 'without.' 'Erfolglos' (unsuccessful) therefore literally means 'without success.'
EXAMPLE
Leider war meine Jobsuche bisher völlig erfolglos.
Unfortunately, my job search has been completely unsuccessful so far.
Use with 'bleiben'
'Erfolglos' (unsuccessful) is very often used as an adverb in combination with the verb 'bleiben' (to remain). The construction 'etwas bleibt erfolglos' (something remains unsuccessful) expresses that an effort produced no result.
EXAMPLE
Die Suche nach dem vermissten Hund blieb leider erfolglos.
The search for the missing dog unfortunately remained unsuccessful.
Typical collocations
As an adjective, 'erfolglos' (unsuccessful) often describes nouns that express an effort or attempt. Typical combinations are 'ein erfolgloser Versuch' (an unsuccessful attempt), 'eine erfolglose Suche' (an unsuccessful search), or 'erfolglose Bemühungen' (unsuccessful efforts).
EXAMPLE
Seine erfolglose Bewerbung hat ihn sehr entmutigt.
His unsuccessful application discouraged him a lot.
Compare with
erfolglos vs erfolgreich
successful
'erfolgreich' and 'erfolglos' are opposites. 'erfolgreich' means that a goal was achieved or that something had a positive outcome. 'erfolglos' means that the desired success was not achieved. Both words fit well with attempts, applications, searches, conversations, or plans. So the difference lies in the result: with success or without success.
erfolglos
Am Montag haben wir erfolglos versucht, den Kunden zu erreichen.
On Monday, we tried unsuccessfully to reach the client.
erfolgreich
Die Suche nach einem Hotel war erfolgreich, obwohl fast alles ausgebucht war.
The search for a hotel was successful, even though almost everything was fully booked.
In real life
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