ineffective

adjective

in·​ef·​fec·​tive ˌi-nə-ˈfek-tiv 

1

: not producing an intended effect : ineffectual

ineffective lighting

an ineffective treatment

2

: not capable of performing efficiently or as expected : incapable

an ineffective executive

ineffectively adverb

ineffectiveness noun

Synonyms of ineffective

• unsuccessful
• inefficient
• counterproductive

Examples of ineffective in a Sentence

The treatment was ineffective against the disease.

an ineffective effort to reduce unemployment that only spurred inflation

Recent Examples on the Web

For Belgium, Romelu Lukaku, the country’s all-time leading scorer, has turned into a dangerous sub, scoring three times off the bench, but was ineffective in his only start. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 10 July 2026

President Emmanuel Macron is limping to the end of his administration as an unpopular and more and more ineffective-looking figure. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026

Australia’s online platforms are stumbling at the very first step in implementing age checks for users, rendering a world-first teen social media ban ineffective, a study by a team that advised the government’s rollout of the curbs found. — Reuters, NBC news, 7 July 2026

Reduction In High-Cost, Acute Utilization When therapy is ineffective or inaccessible, families often turn to more acute and costly services, like emergency departments, inpatient behavioral health settings or crisis interventions. — Jeff Beck, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ineffective

• imperfective
• intellective
• introspective
• irrespective
• nondirective
• nonselective
• retrospective
• unreflective
• advective
• affective
• collective
• connective

Kids Definition

ineffective

adjective

in·​ef·​fec·​tive ˌin-ə-ˈfek-tiv 

1

: not producing the desired effect

an ineffective law

2

: not performing as well as expected or needed

an ineffective leader

ineffectively adverb

ineffectiveness noun