Flunked

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Did not achieve a passing score or level in an exam or academic subject
2. Failed to satisfy the criteria necessary to pass a test or class
3. Was unsuccessful in meeting the assessment standards required to advance

Etymology: "Flunked" is the past tense of "flunk," which is a verb meaning to fail a course or examination. The verb "flunk" is an alteration of "funk," a word that once meant to shrink back from something in fear or to flinch from a danger. Some scholars also suggest it may be a blend of "flinch" and "funk," which would fit the sense of recoiling from a test one dreads. The older "funk" carried that sense of cowardly retreat, and the idea of backing away from a challenge is still visible in the modern usage. A student who flunks a course has, in effect, shrunk back from the demands of the exam and failed to meet them.

Synonyms: failed, bombed, muffed

Antonyms: passed, succeeded