A state of failure (4)
I believe the answer is:
miss
This clue is a double definition.
'a state' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)
'failure' is the second definition.
(I know that miss is a type of failure)
'of' is the link.
(Other definitions for miss that I've seen before include "Fail to hit; girl" , "Teacher" , "One is as good as a mile" , "maiden" , "teacher's address" .)