attempted

IPA/əˈtemptɪd/
KK[ətˈɛmptɪd]IPA/əˈtemptɪd/

attempted — adjective

  • attemptedpositive
  • more attemptedcomparative
  • most attemptedsuperlative

1. used for a criminal act that a person began, but did not finish because it faile

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

used for a criminal act that a person began, but did not finish because it failed or was stopped

Example

The jury found Hugo guilty of attempted murder after the stabbing.

attempted + crime noun in a legal charge

Police arrested Rachid for attempted robbery outside the late-night pharmacy.

Common collocations
  • attempted murder
  • attempted robbery
  • attempted arson
  • attempted kidnapping
  • attempted break-in
Synonyms
  • abortive

    more formal and broader; it is not limited to crimes or legal charges

  • unsuccessful

    broader and less technical; it does not sound like a legal label

Antonyms
  • completed

    finished fully rather than stopped before the act was carried through

Grammar Patterns

attempted + crime noun

Usage Note

Almost always comes before a noun that names a crime or attack. Unlike sense 2, this use is strongly tied to legal charges and news reports, not to ordinary failed efforts in daily life.

Common Mistakes

He was charged with trying murder.
He was charged with attempted murder.
Legal charges normally use 'attempted + crime noun,' not 'trying + crime.'

2. used for something a person tried to do, make, or say, but could not complete or

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

used for something a person tried to do, make, or say, but could not complete or make work

Example

Mira gave an attempted smile before turning back to the ward window.

attempted + expression noun

Lakshmi made an attempted joke, but nobody around the table laughed.

Common collocations
  • attempted smile
  • attempted joke
  • attempted rescue
  • attempted escape
  • attempted comeback
Synonyms
  • abortive

    formal and often suggests the action stopped before reaching its goal

  • failed

    more direct and common, but it describes the result rather than the partly made effort

  • unsuccessful

    broader and neutral; it does not always imply the action had already begun

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

attempted + action noun

Usage Note

This use often describes a gesture, remark, rescue, escape, or similar action that was started but did not come off. It differs from sense 1 because it is not a legal label and can refer to any failed effort.

Common Mistakes

She gave an attempting smile.
She gave an attempted smile.
Use 'attempted' for the result someone tried to produce; 'attempting' describes the person doing the trying.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

'Attempted' usually suggests that someone had already begun an action or at least made a visible move toward it, as in 'an attempted escape' or 'an attempted smile.' 'Failed' is more direct and everyday: it tells you the action did not succeed, but it does not always highlight the effort itself. 'Unsuccessful' is broader and more neutral, often used in reports or formal writing about plans, talks, or applications. 'Abortive' is the most formal of the four and often suggests that something stopped early before it could fully develop. So an 'attempted rescue' focuses on the effort, a 'failed rescue' focuses on the bad result, and an 'abortive rescue' suggests the effort was cut short before it could really continue.

attempted ↗abortive ↗failed ↗unsuccessful ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • attempted murder
  • attempted robbery
  • attempted escape

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Built in English from the verb 'attempt' and the past-participle ending '-ed'. 'Attempt' came into English through Old French from Latin 'attemptare', a verb meaning 'to try' or 'to attack'. The adjective later developed to describe acts and efforts that were begun but not successfully completed, especially in legal phrases such as 'attempted murder'.