Translation guide
Expresses the idea of being thoroughly beaten or losing entirely, in contexts ranging from sports and games to military battles and personal struggles.
Describing a complete defeat in a game, match, war, or any competitive situation.
A straightforward noun meaning 'complete defeat'. Commonly used in sports, games, and contests.
Yesterday's game was a complete defeat.
An idiomatic phrase meaning 'to be beaten thoroughly, without a trace of resistance'. Literally 'to be done in until not even a patch of skin remains'. Stronger and more dramatic than 完敗.
I was completely defeated by him.
A noun meaning 'crushing defeat' or 'ignominious defeat'. Emphasizes the miserable or disastrous nature of the loss.
The team suffered a crushing defeat.
A colloquial noun meaning 'a lopsided loss' or 'getting creamed'. Very casual.
That game was a total blowout.
Describing a complete military defeat, where one side is utterly crushed.
Noun meaning 'annihilation' or 'total destruction'. Used for armies, groups, or even plans that are completely wiped out.
The enemy army was completely annihilated.
Noun meaning 'destruction' or 'annihilation'. Often used for the complete collapse of an organization or force.
A literary idiom meaning 'to suffer a crushing defeat and be covered in dirt', i.e., to be utterly disgraced in battle.
Even a great commander can suffer a humiliating defeat.
Describing a situation where a project, plan, or attempt ends in total failure.
General word for 'failure'. To emphasize completeness, add adverbs like 完全に (completely) or まったく (utterly).
The plan was a complete failure.
Noun meaning 'setback' or 'frustration', often implying a complete collapse of one's efforts or ambitions.
Idiom meaning 'to be smashed to smithereens'. Used figuratively for plans, hopes, etc. being completely destroyed.
完敗 is a neutral statement of complete defeat, while 惨敗 emphasizes the misery or disgrace of the loss. 完敗 is more common in everyday sports contexts.
The English phrase 'complete defeat' is often best expressed with a single Japanese noun like 完敗 or 惨敗, rather than a word-for-word translation. Using 完全な敗北 is grammatical but less natural.
その部隊は壊滅的な打撃を受けた。
The unit suffered a devastating blow.
He suffered a complete defeat in his business venture.
His dreams were shattered into pieces.