diff --git a/src/sysctl/sysctl.c b/src/sysctl/sysctl.c
index f601ae5fd5..c67782ea8f 100644
--- a/src/sysctl/sysctl.c
+++ b/src/sysctl/sysctl.c
@@ -30,25 +30,71 @@ static PagerFlags arg_pager_flags = 0;
 
 STATIC_DESTRUCTOR_REGISTER(arg_prefixes, strv_freep);
 
+typedef struct Option {
+        char *key;
+        char *value;
+        bool ignore_failure;
+} Option;
+
+static Option *option_free(Option *o) {
+        if (!o)
+                return NULL;
+
+        free(o->key);
+        free(o->value);
+
+        return mfree(o);
+}
+
+DEFINE_TRIVIAL_CLEANUP_FUNC(Option*, option_free);
+DEFINE_HASH_OPS_WITH_VALUE_DESTRUCTOR(option_hash_ops, char, string_hash_func, string_compare_func, Option, option_free);
+
+static Option *option_new(
+                const char *key,
+                const char *value,
+                bool ignore_failure) {
+
+        _cleanup_(option_freep) Option *o = NULL;
+
+        assert(key);
+        assert(value);
+
+        o = new(Option, 1);
+        if (!o)
+                return NULL;
+
+        *o = (Option) {
+                .key = strdup(key),
+                .value = strdup(value),
+                .ignore_failure = ignore_failure,
+        };
+
+        if (!o->key || !o->value)
+                return NULL;
+
+        return TAKE_PTR(o);
+}
+
 static int apply_all(OrderedHashmap *sysctl_options) {
-        char *property, *value;
+        Option *option;
         Iterator i;
         int r = 0;
 
-        ORDERED_HASHMAP_FOREACH_KEY(value, property, sysctl_options, i) {
+        ORDERED_HASHMAP_FOREACH(option, sysctl_options, i) {
                 int k;
 
-                k = sysctl_write(property, value);
+                k = sysctl_write(option->key, option->value);
                 if (k < 0) {
-                        /* If the sysctl is not available in the kernel or we are running with reduced privileges and
-                         * cannot write it, then log about the issue at LOG_NOTICE level, and proceed without
-                         * failing. (EROFS is treated as a permission problem here, since that's how container managers
-                         * usually protected their sysctls.) In all other cases log an error and make the tool fail. */
+                        /* If the sysctl is not available in the kernel or we are running with reduced
+                         * privileges and cannot write it, then log about the issue at LOG_NOTICE level, and
+                         * proceed without failing. (EROFS is treated as a permission problem here, since
+                         * that's how container managers usually protected their sysctls.) In all other cases
+                         * log an error and make the tool fail. */
 
-                        if (IN_SET(k, -EPERM, -EACCES, -EROFS, -ENOENT))
-                                log_notice_errno(k, "Couldn't write '%s' to '%s', ignoring: %m", value, property);
+                        if (IN_SET(k, -EPERM, -EACCES, -EROFS, -ENOENT) || option->ignore_failure)
+                                log_notice_errno(k, "Couldn't write '%s' to '%s', ignoring: %m", option->value, option->key);
                         else {
-                                log_error_errno(k, "Couldn't write '%s' to '%s': %m", value, property);
+                                log_error_errno(k, "Couldn't write '%s' to '%s': %m", option->value, option->key);
                                 if (r == 0)
                                         r = k;
                         }
@@ -94,9 +140,11 @@ static int parse_file(OrderedHashmap *sysctl_options, const char *path, bool ign
 
         log_debug("Parsing %s", path);
         for (;;) {
-                char *p, *value, *new_value, *property, *existing;
+                _cleanup_(option_freep) Option *new_option = NULL;
                 _cleanup_free_ char *l = NULL;
-                void *v;
+                bool ignore_failure;
+                Option *existing;
+                char *p, *value;
                 int k;
 
                 k = read_line(f, LONG_LINE_MAX, &l);
@@ -125,39 +173,37 @@ static int parse_file(OrderedHashmap *sysctl_options, const char *path, bool ign
                 *value = 0;
                 value++;
 
-                p = sysctl_normalize(strstrip(p));
+                p = strstrip(p);
+                ignore_failure = p[0] == '-';
+                if (ignore_failure)
+                        p++;
+
+                p = sysctl_normalize(p);
                 value = strstrip(value);
 
                 if (!test_prefix(p))
                         continue;
 
-                existing = ordered_hashmap_get2(sysctl_options, p, &v);
+                existing = ordered_hashmap_get(sysctl_options, p);
                 if (existing) {
-                        if (streq(value, existing))
+                        if (streq(value, existing->value)) {
+                                existing->ignore_failure = existing->ignore_failure || ignore_failure;
                                 continue;
+                        }
 
                         log_debug("Overwriting earlier assignment of %s at '%s:%u'.", p, path, c);
-                        free(ordered_hashmap_remove(sysctl_options, p));
-                        free(v);
+                        option_free(ordered_hashmap_remove(sysctl_options, p));
                 }
 
-                property = strdup(p);
-                if (!property)
+                new_option = option_new(p, value, ignore_failure);
+                if (!new_option)
                         return log_oom();
 
-                new_value = strdup(value);
-                if (!new_value) {
-                        free(property);
-                        return log_oom();
-                }
+                k = ordered_hashmap_put(sysctl_options, new_option->key, new_option);
+                if (k < 0)
+                        return log_error_errno(k, "Failed to add sysctl variable %s to hashmap: %m", p);
 
-                k = ordered_hashmap_put(sysctl_options, property, new_value);
-                if (k < 0) {
-                        log_error_errno(k, "Failed to add sysctl variable %s to hashmap: %m", property);
-                        free(property);
-                        free(new_value);
-                        return k;
-                }
+                TAKE_PTR(new_option);
         }
 
         return r;
@@ -264,7 +310,7 @@ static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 }
 
 static int run(int argc, char *argv[]) {
-        _cleanup_(ordered_hashmap_free_free_freep) OrderedHashmap *sysctl_options = NULL;
+        _cleanup_(ordered_hashmap_freep) OrderedHashmap *sysctl_options = NULL;
         int r, k;
 
         r = parse_argv(argc, argv);
@@ -275,7 +321,7 @@ static int run(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
         umask(0022);
 
-        sysctl_options = ordered_hashmap_new(&path_hash_ops);
+        sysctl_options = ordered_hashmap_new(&option_hash_ops);
         if (!sysctl_options)
                 return log_oom();