inefficiency

as in inability
the lack of ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy The candidate blamed her opponent for the local government's inefficiency.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inefficiency The $13 trillion global construction industry has long struggled with inefficiencies, delays, and corruption. Francesco Decarolis, Harvard Business Review, 16 Apr. 2025 The group emphasized support for reforms targeting program waste and inefficiencies but drew a red line at coverage cuts. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025 To address this inefficiency, torpedo bats are made with more wood in the sweet spot and less wood elsewhere—thus, the bulge. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025 For instance, a manufacturer could track energy consumption across global facilities, identify inefficiencies and implement targeted reductions to align with corporate sustainability commitments. Robert Kramer, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inefficiency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficiency
Noun
  • And there’s a blunt, pulp poetry to Manny’s conclusion (if not a particularly sensitive one), driven to despair by an inability to live in the dissonant but very real space between one’s religious moral compass and the realities of one’s life.
    Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
  • And yet, progress waits for no one—failing to adapt will lead to inefficiencies and an inability to meet evolving consumer demands, causing such banks to be left behind.
    Roman Eloshvili, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • These two Radical Left fools left behind two cities that will take years to recover from their incompetence and evil.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The great tariff turnaround this week was either a sign of gross incompetence or a cruel game played on the world.
    Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • It's been a revolving door of incompetency under center for the Browns this year.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
  • When pressed on such timelines during a Senate hearing in December 2024, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf reiterated the issue isn’t a matter of corruption or incompetency, but federal support.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inefficiency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficiency. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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