Edsel
(US, informal) Any unwanted product or commercial failure, especially one given much publicity.
Seen in the wild
Bigger flop than the Edsel, and Edsel is synonymous with "flop" Half as many cybertrucks sold in two years than Edsels in the same amount of time, except the Edsel was introduced in 1958.
Edsel Ford Fong Was A San Francisco Sensation For Being “The World’s Rudest Waiter” (Cool Weird Awesome 1649) This is why I wish there had been online reviews in the 1970s and 80s.
So, how are we ranking the Gizmoplex in terms of wrong-headed failures? Above the Edsel but below New Coke? #MST3K
Definitions
(US, informal) Any unwanted product or commercial failure, especially one given much publicity.
“So, how are we ranking the Gizmoplex in terms of wrong-headed failures? Above the Edsel but below New Coke? #MST3K”
Tom Paris: Harry… I think we built an Edsel.Harry Kim: A what?Tom Paris: A lemon. A disaster waiting to happen.
“So, how are we ranking the Gizmoplex in terms of wrong-headed failures? Above the Edsel but below New Coke? #MST3K”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(historical, automotive) An automobile marque that was planned, manufactured and launched with great advertising hype by the Ford Motor Company in September 1957, but was a notorious failure.
“Bigger flop than the Edsel, and Edsel is synonymous with "flop" Half as many cybertrucks sold in two years than Edsels in the same amount of time, except the Edsel was introduced in 1958.”
Edsel means: An automobile marque that was planned, manufactured and launched with great advertising hype by the Ford Motor Company in September 1957, but was a notorious failure.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
Edsel means: An automobile marque that was planned, manufactured and launched with great advertising hype by the Ford Motor Company in September 1957, but was a notorious failure.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
“Bigger flop than the Edsel, and Edsel is synonymous with "flop" Half as many cybertrucks sold in two years than Edsels in the same amount of time, except the Edsel was introduced in 1958.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Edsel Ford Fong Was A San Francisco Sensation For Being “The World’s Rudest Waiter” (Cool Weird Awesome 1649) This is why I wish there had been online reviews in the 1970s and 80s.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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