feckless

adjective

feck·​less ˈfek-ləs 

1

: weak, ineffective

She can't rely on her feckless son.

2

: worthless, irresponsible

… a feckless maneuver that could only serve to strengthen the enemy …

—Simon Schama

fecklessly adverb

fecklessness noun

Did you know?

A feckless person is lacking in feck. And what, you may ask, is feck? In Scots—our source of feckless—feck means "majority" or "effect." The term is ultimately an alteration of the Middle English effect. So something without feck is without effect, i.e., ineffective. In the past, feckful (meaning "efficient, effective," "sturdy," or "powerful") made an occasional appearance, but in this case, the weak has outlived the strong: feckless is a commonly used English word, but feckful has proven, well, feckless.

Synonyms of feckless

• unsuccessful
• inefficient
• ineffectual
• counterproductive

Examples of feckless in a Sentence

She can't rely on her feckless son.

a well-intentioned but feckless response to the rise in school violence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Puritans regarded the Cavalier lifestyle, inherited from Charles’s court, as a feckless round of feasting, gambling, and wenching. — James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026

Now, remember, all of these ifs depend on a government that remains feckless and people who are too disparate to stop the data center build-out. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 June 2026

Forming a task force to address immigrant discrimination is simultaneously offensive and feckless. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2026

Bowing to Trump, feckless state legislators have unconstitutionally gerrymandered Democratic-leaning congressional districts out of existence. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

from Scots, earlier fectles "valueless, futile," from fek, fect (later feck) "value, efficacy" (aphetic form of effect effect entry 1) + -les -less

First Known Use

circa 1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for feckless

• necklace
• reckless

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!