ineffective

adjective

in·ef·fec·tive | \ ˌi-nə-ˈfek-tiv

Definition of ineffective

1 : not producing an intended effect : ineffectual ineffective lighting

2 : not capable of performing efficiently or as expected : incapable an ineffective executive

Other Words from ineffective Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about ineffective

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Examples of ineffective in a Sentence

The treatment was ineffective against the disease. an ineffective effort to reduce unemployment that only spurred inflation

Recent Examples on the Web

Some are gimmick weight loss tricks, and others are scientifically proven to be ineffective. — USA TODAY, "The biggest exercise fad the year you were born," 12 July 2018 Orioles reliever Mychal Givens has been ineffective this year, but his 2017 season (2.75 ERA in 69 games) can’t be overlooked. — Mark Gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Cubs need insurance for the rotation and bullpen, no matter how small the upgrade," 5 July 2018 Her sister-in-law and frenemy in court, Grand Duchess Pavlovna, aka Miechen, epitomizes the aristocracy and provides the perfect foil for Maria – until her son Nicholas, a weak and eventually ineffective tsar, weds the German princess Alix of Hesse. — Mary Cadden, USA TODAY, "Empress Maria heads juicy Russian cast in historical novel about the Romanovs," 12 July 2018 The story fit the narrative Mr. Trump has used to justify withdrawing from the nuclear deal with Iran: That the agreement was weak, ineffective and gave large concessions without sufficiently blocking threats from Tehran. — New York Times, "In a Fox-Inspired Tweetstorm, Trump Offers a Medley of Falsehoods and Misstatements," 3 July 2018 However, the company is concerned that glioblastoma patients will refuse to participate in such a study because standard-of-care treatments that would be used as the control arm are ineffective. — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, "Poliovirus therapy shows early promise in patients with aggressive brain cancer but questions linger," 26 June 2018 Speed rushers can beat him if his initial punch is ineffective. — Scott Horner, Indianapolis Star, "NFL Scouting Combine 2018: IU, Notre Dame, Purdue scouting reports," 6 Feb. 2018 What is less debatable is that the failures of 2017, in which Harvey, Matz, Zack Wheeler and Robert Gsellman were hurt and ineffective (and Syndergaard was just hurt), locked the Mets into a pitching-heavy path for good. — Jack Dickey, SI.com, "The New York Mets Could Try to Rebuild, But Why Would We Trust Them to Do That?," 11 June 2018 But in recent years, it has also been used as an (ineffective) cancer cure or as a general tonic - a draft of rice wine mixed with bear bile, or steeped in a bear’s paw, might stave off a hangover, some say. — Author: Simon Denyer, Anchorage Daily News, "From hemorrhoids to hangovers: Bear bile is treasured in China, and that’s bad for captive bears," 3 June 2018

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