Definition of EFFICACY

Examples of efficacy in a Sentence

In the planner's view, Rumsfeld had two goals: to demonstrate the efficacy of precision bombing and to "do the war on the cheap." — Seymour M. Hersh, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2003 Vaccines exist, but their efficacy against aerosolized plague is unknown. — Sharon Begley et al., Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2001 … efficacy does not have to be demonstrated before homeopathic products are marketed. — Alison Abbott et al., Nature, 26 Sept. 1996 questioned the efficacy of the alarms in actually preventing auto theft

Recent Examples on the Web

The reasoning goes that application order dictates how various products are absorbed, and therefore, their efficacy. — A.a. Newton, SELF, "How Much Does the Order of Your Skin-Care Routine Actually Matter?," 11 June 2019 That aspect seems to be essential to its efficacy: several studies have shown that the more profoundly mystical the experience, the greater the therapeutic effect. — The Economist, "Magic mushrooms, illegal in most places, may have therapeutic uses," 7 June 2019 If at any point the vaccine’s temperature rises to room temperature, its efficacy drops dramatically. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "Vaccines that don’t need refrigeration could save a ton of lives," 5 June 2019 But critics note that the drug was approved for many of those conditions long before the FDA's more rigorous standards of today and that there are few randomized clinical studies showing its efficacy, especially in adult conditions. — Wayne Drash, CNN, "Mallinckrodt paid 'kickbacks' to keep drug price high, and stuck taxpayers with bill, DOJ lawsuit says," 5 June 2019 Instead, the anger has been in response to something else: an emphasis on roughing the passer, which has required weekly explanations in response to weekly head-scratching about its efficacy. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The NFL’s Grumpy Season," 6 Oct. 2018 Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an $87 billion plan to link 60 rivers across India in an attempt to provide better irrigation sources and reduce flooding, though its efficacy remains to be seen. — Kamakshi Ayyar, Time, "The Global Water Crisis: Why Are India’s Taps Running Dry?," 6 June 2018 Moreover, early data from the Southern Hemisphere—which can offer a glimpse of what’s to come in the US—suggested that last year’s flu vaccine had an abysmal 10 percent efficacy rate. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Last year’s flu was brutal—killing 80,000—but vaccine did better than expected," 27 Sep. 2018 The art lies not only in the fresh efficacy of idea and utterance, but in the story’s armature, its determining designs. — William Giraldi, The Seattle Times, "Glen David Gold’s new memoir is ‘a soiree of heart-wreck wised up by humor’," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'efficacy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.