mess up vs fail

mess up and fail both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
mess up	No	No	Yes	No
fail	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, fail is a hypernym of mess up; that is, fail is a word with a broader meaning than mess up:

Other hypernyms of mess up include go wrong, miscarry.

mess up (verb)	fail (verb)
make a mess of or create disorder in	stop operating or functioning
disturb the smoothness of	deteriorate
make a mess of, destroy or ruin	prove insufficient
	disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake
	become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close
	be unsuccessful
	fail to get a passing grade
	fail to do something; leave something undone
	judge unacceptable
	be unable
	fall short in what is expected