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
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.
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
His bossy attitude soon puts him in the crosshairs of a mischievous quartet: Olivia’s drunken uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Kevin Theis), and his feckless buddy, Sir Andrew Aguecheek (J Cody Hunt), along with two members of Olivia’s household staff, Maria (Julia Rowley) and Fabian (Kason Chesky).
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
As Vinayak recounts his family’s history, the men were feckless and the women saved the day.
—Radha Vatsal
june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
Delegitimizing the judiciary, the last constitutional brake when the legislature is co-opted and feckless?
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
Compare this to the feckless impotence of Donald Trump or Andrew Cuomo.
—Steven W. Thrasher
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for feckless
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Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
As Vinayak recounts his family’s history, the men were feckless and the women saved the day.
—Radha Vatsal
june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
Delegitimizing the judiciary, the last constitutional brake when the legislature is co-opted and feckless?
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
Compare this to the feckless impotence of Donald Trump or Andrew Cuomo.
—Steven W. Thrasher
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for feckless
Cite this Entry
“Feckless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feckless. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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