downfall

/ˈdaʊnfɔːl/noun

A sudden loss of power, wealth, or success; the thing that causes such a collapse.

Example sentences

“Overconfidence proved to be the champion's downfall.”
“The scandal led to the swift downfall of the minister.”

Names both the collapse and its cause: pride was his downfall. It is reserved for the powerful or successful.

Synonyms for downfall

collapse
ruin
fall
undoing

Antonyms

rise

Related words

demiseThe death of a person, or the point at which something comes to an end or collapses.dourSerious, unfriendly, and severe in manner or appearance.dreadTo feel great fear or deep anxiety about something that is going to happen.drearyDull and gloomy in a way that makes you feel sad or bored.droughtA long stretch of time with far less rain than normal, worse and longer than an ordinary dry spell.dogmaticStating opinions in a forceful, superior way, as if they could never be wrong.