Definition of inefficiency
inefficiencies
1 : the quality or state of being inefficient
2 : something that is inefficient
Explore M-W
Examples of inefficiency in a Sentence
The candidate blamed her opponent for the local government's inefficiency.
She claims that money can be saved by reducing inefficiencies.
Recent Examples of inefficiency from the Web
-
Numerous reports from independent watchdogs point to a disturbing pattern of mismanagement, inefficiency, and poor performance.
-
Most generally, this inefficiency applies to any aggregator that always places the consensus forecast between the smallest and largest forecasts.
-
Perhaps the most striking example of inefficiency occurred in 2013, when Gazprom announced that the cost of a pipeline that Rotenberg was building in Krasnodar—a warm, flat region near the Black Sea—had risen by forty-five per cent.
-
A new foundation, 2B1, under the auspices of MIT's biggest guns – including AI Lab co-founder Seymour Papert and Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte – hopes to skirt the inefficiencies by tapping the cheapest resource: kids.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inefficiency'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
1749
First Known Use of inefficiency
1749
INEFFICIENCY Defined for English Language Learners
inefficiency
playDefinition of inefficiency for English Language Learners
-
: the lack of ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy : the quality or state of being inefficient
INEFFICIENCY Defined for Kids
inefficiency
playDefinition of inefficiency for Students
inefficiencies
: the state or an instance of being ineffective or inefficient
Learn More about inefficiency
-
Spanish Central: Translation of inefficiency Nglish: Translation of inefficiency for Spanish speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up inefficiency? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!