Definition of EFFICIENT

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

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.

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 process is fairly efficient; about 60% of the energy put into the plant ends up being stored in the ammonia's bonds. Scaled up to factories the size of Yara's, the process can produce vast amounts of ammonia. — Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, "Ammonia—a renewable fuel made from sun, air, and water—could power the globe without carbon," 12 July 2018 Polen calls the loans an efficient way to manage cash, as long as they’re repaid every three to six months and aren’t used simply to increase returns. — Sabrina Willmer And John Gittelsohn, latimes.com, "Private equity sleight of hand makes so-so investments look superb, CalPERS says," 3 July 2018 The architect, now 45, came up with the design in 2010 as an efficient way to use the prefab concrete produced in his family’s factory to build homes affordable for the typical household. — J. S. Marcus, WSJ, "Where Luxury Meets a Prefab Home," 27 June 2018 Control over these overall systems serving the arena would be more efficient for upgrades and maintenance. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, courant.com, "8 Reasons To Buy The Atrium, Other Space Outside Hartford's XL Center Arena Now Rather Than Later," 25 June 2018 No matter how efficient Gawande is with his time, his CEO role will test even his ability to multitask. — Rick Berke @rickberke, STAT, "How Atul Gawande landed perhaps the most extraordinary (or impossible) job in health care," 25 June 2018 One pair makes babies and everybody else takes care of them, creating an incredibly stable, efficient and successful living arrangement. — Tim Vernimmen, Scientific American, "Babysitting Mammals Keep It in the Family," 20 June 2018 The other efficient way of switching between tools in Photoshop is to use keyboard shortcuts. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "HP’s ZBook x2: It’s powerful, it’s specialized, and it’s very expensive," 27 May 2018 Every house and apartment seems to be outfitted with a Yuxie—an Alexa-esque device that, shock of shocks, also doubles as an efficient way for the government to monitor its citizens. — Scott Meslow, GQ, "Fahrenheit 451 Review: An Unsubtle Movie for Our Unsubtle Times," 18 May 2018

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