1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
his efforts to restore the neglected houseplant back to health were belated and sadly inefficacious
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
an inefficacious medication for a rare form of tuberculosis
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inefficacious
Most wore inefficacious cloth masks, too.
—
James Lileks, National Review, 25 Aug. 2022
Day — who grew up watching the spelling bee — came up with the concept of exploring the psyche of a winner with an ultimately inefficacious career in 2015 while at a UCB improv sketch-writing class.
—NBC News, 6 Oct. 2020
James Lileks, National Review, 25 Aug. 2022
Day — who grew up watching the spelling bee — came up with the concept of exploring the psyche of a winner with an ultimately inefficacious career in 2015 while at a UCB improv sketch-writing class.
—NBC News, 6 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficacious
Adjective
-
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and Walnut Grove Fire District personnel searched that first night from the air and aboard boats equipped with sonar and powerful magnets to detect the submerged vehicle but were unsuccessful.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacramento Bee,
6 Feb. 2025
-
The Celtics held an 11-point lead five minutes into the third quarter when Brown elevated for an unsuccessful dunk attempt on Cleveland’s Georges Niang.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Telling people to evacuate with no plan — or even an actual route — seems pretty futile.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
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That disaster is remembered for the heroic action of federal worker Lenny Skutnik, a bystander who watched a helicopter’s futile effort to pull survivors from the river.—
Matt Leclercq,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Kidwell, who bills himself a Christian conservative Republican, said the Trump administration is right to take aim in Washington at wasteful spending and inefficient bureaucracy.—
Alan Wooten | The Center Square,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
8 Feb. 2025
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The move caps nearly three weeks of efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle America’s foreign aid infrastructure, which the president and his advisers argue is bloated, inefficient, and out of step with American values.—
Jacob Turcotte,
The Christian Science Monitor,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Power losses also left area water pumps useless for hours during the 2017 Thomas fire.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2025
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The holding midfielder Antonio Blanco tried to step into Yamal but a quick flick of his left foot meant that Blanco’s tackle was useless.—
Pol Ballús,
The Athletic,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Finally, decades of strict criminal responses to drug use have not only proven to be largely ineffective but also dramatically unfair.—
Michael Abrams,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Feb. 2025
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Some of them ended up being very effective (Anthony DeSclafani, Wood), and some of them were ineffective (Aaron Sanchez, Scott Kazmir).—
Grant Brisbee,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But this may have been counterproductive, at least for the penguin colonies.—
Joshua Rapp Learn,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Feb. 2025
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Potentially dumping Hoerner’s salary to make Bregman’s numbers work within a budget for baseball operations would be counterproductive.—
Patrick Mooney,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near inefficacious
Cite this Entry
“Inefficacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficacious. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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