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
Even before Ipswich went down to 10 men in the 32nd minute — Leif Davis shown a straight red card for a feckless foul on Bukayo Saka — Arsenal were 2-0 ahead.
—Michael Walker, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
In King Vidor’s Show People (1928), the delightful Marion Davies sends up Hollywood — and her own persona — with the assurance that audiences understood the no-longer-inside jokes, spotted the cameos, and laughed at how the feckless leading man takes credit for the exploits of his stunt double.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
The school essentially was feckless not meting out appropriate discipline and subsequent lack of backing to the teacher.
—Martin Potters, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025
This period is not a golden age — but rather the age of feckless politicians.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for feckless
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Michael Walker, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
In King Vidor’s Show People (1928), the delightful Marion Davies sends up Hollywood — and her own persona — with the assurance that audiences understood the no-longer-inside jokes, spotted the cameos, and laughed at how the feckless leading man takes credit for the exploits of his stunt double.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
The school essentially was feckless not meting out appropriate discipline and subsequent lack of backing to the teacher.
—Martin Potters, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025
This period is not a golden age — but rather the age of feckless politicians.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 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 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share