efficient

adjective

ef·​fi·​cient i-ˈfi-shənt 

1

: productive of desired effects

especially : capable of producing desired results with little or no waste (as of time or materials)

an efficient worker

efficient machinery

2

: being or involving the immediate agent in producing an effect

the efficient action of heat in changing water to steam

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Comparing Efficient, Effective, and Proficient

These three words cover some overlapping territory.

Efficient most often describes what is capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy. While the word can be applied to both people and things, it is far more commonly applied to things, such as machines, systems, processes, and organizations. The focus of the word is on how little is wasted or lost while the desired results are produced.

Effective typically describes things—such as policies, treatments, arguments, and techniques—that do what they are intended to do. People can also be described as effective when they accomplish what they set out to accomplish, but the word is far more often applied to things.

Proficient typically describes people, and it often is followed by the preposition at. If you are proficient at something, you are very good at it. You are, in fact, so good at doing it that you are unusually efficient when you do it. One can also be proficient in something, such as a language.

Synonyms

• effective
• effectual
• efficacious
• fruitful
• operative
• potent
• productive

Choose the Right Synonym for efficient

effective, effectual, efficient, efficacious mean producing or capable of producing a result.

effective stresses the actual production of or the power to produce an effect.

an effective rebuttal

effectual suggests the accomplishment of a desired result especially as viewed after the fact.

the measures to stop the pilfering proved effectual

efficient suggests an acting or a potential for action or use in such a way as to avoid loss or waste of energy in effecting, producing, or functioning.

an efficient small car

efficacious suggests possession of a special quality or virtue that gives effective power.

a detergent that is efficacious in removing grease

Examples of efficient in a Sentence

Like a page-turner of a novel, [Nomar] Garciaparra keeps you eager to see what comes next, especially this season, when he will have the most efficient RBI machine in baseball, free-agent signee Manny Ramirez, riding shotgun with him. —Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 5 Mar. 2001

Short and muscular, he is as efficient as a surgeon, cracking eggs with one hand and tossing the shells into the basket under the counter behind him without looking, flipping bread into the slots of a row of toasters, and literally throwing "to go" orders ten feet down the counter to the guy manning the cash register. —Paul Baumann, Commonweal, 18 July 1997

Wilde was wearing two emeralds, … one on the little finger of each hand. That on the left was the efficient cause of all joys, that on the right of misfortunes. Asked why he continued to wear the one on the right, Wilde said, "One needs misfortunes to live happily." —Richard Ellmann, Oscar Wilde, (1984) 1988

Originally designed for the preparation of desserts, the woks eventually proved their versatility as efficient vessels for stir-frying, deep-frying, and the reduction of liquids. —Kemp Miles Minifie, Gourmet, November 1988

that manual lawn mower is not a very efficient tool for doing a huge yard

Recent Examples on the Web

The company's cost efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly products for energy production nearly eliminate criteria pollutants and significantly reduce a customer's carbon footprint. —Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024

Here’s how to win over nervous neighbors March 5, 2024 Blazek is not alone in wanting her kitchen to be efficient. —Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024

Their efficient handling of such a crucial task reassures the community that our electoral process is in good hands. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024

But Rasmussen is betting that big players will continue to expand and utilize the industry's technology advances to make operations more efficient. —With reporting by the Associated Press. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2024

Executives say this will not only make patient care more efficient, and decrease the length of hospital stays, but also help Jackson save money. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

And your digestive tract is pretty efficient at moving this gas through your system, Kyle Staller, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, tells SELF. —Korin Miller, SELF, 18 Apr. 2024

And railroad officials said some things that slow down the trains — like forcing engineers to remain at the most efficient speed and increasing the length of trains — are also things that make CSX more efficient. —Josh Funk, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024

More efficient battery technology could also lessen the strain on supply chains by reducing the amount of raw materials necessary for production. —William Gavin, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "active, immediate (of a cause)," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin efficient-, efficiens "producing or giving rise to something, immediate (of a cause), active," from present participle of efficere "to make, bring about, produce, carry out" — more at effect entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing efficient

• cost-efficient
• hyper-efficient

Kids Definition

efficient

adjective

ef·​fi·​cient i-ˈfish-ənt 

: capable of producing desired results especially without waste (as of time or energy)

an efficient worker

efficient machinery

efficiently adverb