as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
inefficient measures to solve the problem of teenage smoking
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Recent Examples of inefficient
The middle innings are when things tend to get inefficient for Peralta.
—
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
The idea for Revise emerged from Sapek’s observations of how documents are handled in professional settings, where workflows can involve multiple versions, inefficient copying and pasting between chat apps and word processors, and limited visibility into revision history.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
From the beginning, the building was criticized as overly expensive and inefficient.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Early creative projects almost always look inefficient.
—Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inefficient
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
The idea for Revise emerged from Sapek’s observations of how documents are handled in professional settings, where workflows can involve multiple versions, inefficient copying and pasting between chat apps and word processors, and limited visibility into revision history.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
From the beginning, the building was criticized as overly expensive and inefficient.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Early creative projects almost always look inefficient.
—Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inefficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficient
Adjective
-
Golden State Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob said his unsuccessful bid to buy the San Diego Padres assumed that the entire 2027 MLB season would likely be lost due to labor strife.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
6 May 2026
-
The assailant stabbed the pope with a bayonet, but the assassination attempt was unsuccessful.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
There is a broader issue of manufacturers selling dangerous products and promoting them with deceptive advertising to lure youth into using their dangerous, ineffective products.—
Jad Abdel Nour,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
-
The sales rep pointed out damage already happening to the foundation of my house due to ineffective gutters.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
This movement, known as critical legal studies, was associated with the political left, and its exponents, known as crits, loved to disparage liberal theorists’ devotion to the Constitution as naïve and counterproductive.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
While many components of Prop 103 have obviously been effective, some have been counterproductive and need reform.—
Steven Bradford,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inefficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficient. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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