ineffectual
adjective
in·ef·fec·tu·al
ˌi-nə-ˈfek-chə(-wə)l 
-ˈfeksh-wəl
1
: not producing the proper or intended effect : futile
ineffectualness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of ineffectual in a Sentence
an ineffectual effort to find the trail again did at least lead them to another stunning view of the canyon
another ineffectual plan to lose weight without dieting or exercising
Recent Examples on the Web
Alice’s ineffectual husband Simon (a curiously miscast Anders Danielsen Lie) prefers to stay aloof, while Céline’s distraught husband Damian (ensemble standout Josh Charles, in an underwritten part) retreats into boozy isolation.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
As the Kremlin finds creative ways to evade government sanctions, marginal improvements in the Russian economy have led some critics to wrongly declare that all economic sanctions are ineffectual and useless.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024
In the early months of the war, Hamas responded to the Israeli ground invasion with intense if ineffectual rocket fire, launching more than 13,000 projectiles toward Israel.
—Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Maybe you won’t be convinced that Casolaro’s trail leads to the October Surprise — the theory that argues Ronald Reagan cut a deal with Iran to keep U.S. hostages captive until after the 1980 presidential election, thereby making incumbent Jimmy Carter look weak and ineffectual.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
The conventional method involved securing digital entry points using firewalls to ward off potential threats, but the rise in multicloud usage and the adoption of hybrid work environments are making these approaches outdated and ineffectual.
—Anudeep Parhar, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
In what might be called the Great Reversal, President Biden rolled back Trump policies as a matter of course and on principle, assuming that anything his predecessor was responsible for must be immoral or ineffectual.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 4 Feb. 2024
In August 2023, for instance, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, speaking as the chair of the West African bloc ECOWAS, issued a premature and ineffectual threat of military action against Niger's junta, while other governments were pursuing diplomatic strategies.
—Joseph Sany, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024
Nasser blames all sides for the disarray in the south: Israel, Hezbollah and the notoriously ineffectual Lebanese government.
—Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2023
Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
As the Kremlin finds creative ways to evade government sanctions, marginal improvements in the Russian economy have led some critics to wrongly declare that all economic sanctions are ineffectual and useless.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024
In the early months of the war, Hamas responded to the Israeli ground invasion with intense if ineffectual rocket fire, launching more than 13,000 projectiles toward Israel.
—Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Maybe you won’t be convinced that Casolaro’s trail leads to the October Surprise — the theory that argues Ronald Reagan cut a deal with Iran to keep U.S. hostages captive until after the 1980 presidential election, thereby making incumbent Jimmy Carter look weak and ineffectual.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
The conventional method involved securing digital entry points using firewalls to ward off potential threats, but the rise in multicloud usage and the adoption of hybrid work environments are making these approaches outdated and ineffectual.
—Anudeep Parhar, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
In what might be called the Great Reversal, President Biden rolled back Trump policies as a matter of course and on principle, assuming that anything his predecessor was responsible for must be immoral or ineffectual.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 4 Feb. 2024
In August 2023, for instance, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, speaking as the chair of the West African bloc ECOWAS, issued a premature and ineffectual threat of military action against Niger's junta, while other governments were pursuing diplomatic strategies.
—Joseph Sany, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024
Nasser blames all sides for the disarray in the south: Israel, Hezbollah and the notoriously ineffectual Lebanese government.
—Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ineffectual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ineffectual
Cite this Entry
“Ineffectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ineffectual. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ineffectual
adjective
in·ef·fec·tu·al
ˌin-ə-ˈfek-chə(-wə)l
-ˈfeksh-wəl
1
: not producing the proper or usual effect
an ineffectual attempt
ineffectualness
noun
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