failson

[ feyl-suhn ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a man who has been unsuccessful in business or life generally, especially one from a wealthy, powerful family:

   The program appeals to silver-spoon failsons who want to have something constructive to do with their time.

Word History and Origins

Origin of failson¹

First recorded in 2010–15; fail ( def ) + son ( def ), possibly on internet forums

Example Sentences

Connor, the failson and outcast of the Roy family, quickly backtracks, amending the statement to, “I never got to make him proud.”

From Washington Post

"Oh, man. He never even liked me," the dry-eyed failson says upon hearing the news.

From Salon

Some elements of “Paradise” are dated, but the verve of “A Great Man’s Child,” the show’s failson anthem, with a lyric by Arnold Weinstein, still plays well alongside contemporary talk about “nepotism babies.”

From New York Times

When Kendall stood in front of a bank of cameras and implicated Logan's complicity in covering up sexual abuse and other crimes against humanity within Waystar Royco, he thought that for once he'd be seen not as a failson, but a whistleblower.

From Salon

“A big part of the critique at the time is that he was sort of a failson that was a vehicle for these people,” said Josh Marshall, who chronicled the Bush years on his website, Talking Points Memo.

From Washington Post