efficient

adjective ef·fi·cient \ i-ˈfi-shənt \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Editor's Note: Comparing efficient, effective, and proficient

Definition of efficient

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

—

efficiently

adverb

See efficient defined for English-language learners

See efficient defined for kids

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 of efficient from the Web

More than 10 states — including Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, Indiana and Michigan — have adopted this process, which is seen as more efficient and cost-effective.

— lynn horsley, kansascity, "Getting a new Kansas license plate? To avoid sticker shock, keep track of that decal," 11 July 2018
Economics decides what is efficient and what isn’t.

— elizabeth royte, Daily Intelligencer, "George Pakenham is waging a one-man war on air pollution on the Upper West Side.," 10 July 2018
Clayton has been really good at doing it in an efficient and winning manner.

— kevin acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres notes: Richard's efficient run; Hughes, Mitchell progress; slump numbers," 3 July 2018
The handsome doorman with a headset serves more as traffic cop than bouncer, funneling in the clusters of boys in an efficient and friendly manner.

— brian sloan, New York Times, "A (Mostly) Gay, Celebrity-Filled Party Returns to the Bowery," 3 July 2018
Ducey, up for re-election this year, has given top agency executives pay raises for cutting their budgets, being more efficient and giving less money to state employees.

— craig harris, azcentral, "No meal money for traveling staff at Arizona Department of Real Estate," 2 July 2018
While the plant might be more efficient and cleaner than the plants currently online, that did little to assuage her concerns.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Not All Questions, Concerns Addressed At NTE Project Meeting," 2 July 2018
Katherine Jones Idaho Statesman file LED lighting is meant to be more efficient and cost-effective.

— kevin davenport, idahostatesman, "Night shift: Animals are retreating into the darkness out of fear of humans," 28 June 2018
The result of all this is that people told me they were more efficient and productive than usual.

— kurt wagner, Recode, "Cannes Lions, the ad industry’s biggest party, might finally be sobering up," 23 June 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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of efficient

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin efficient-, efficiens, from present participle of efficere

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

efficient Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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.