as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
a well-intentioned but feckless response to the rise in school violence
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Recent Examples of feckless
One can see why wrestling appealed to him—the crowd is everything, the rules mean nothing, and the referees are so feckless that they often get knocked out and everyone laughs.
—
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
But not only did Trump promise that the war would last weeks, not months, the disparate impact of the strait’s closure may actually help wrap up the war by forcing our fickle and feckless allies to actually act like friends and join the fight.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
After blowing a lead and giving up five third-period goals to Vegas, the Kings were utterly feckless in the final frame against Edmonton.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
As head coach, Conte was responsible for motivating his supposedly feckless players.
—Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feckless
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
But not only did Trump promise that the war would last weeks, not months, the disparate impact of the strait’s closure may actually help wrap up the war by forcing our fickle and feckless allies to actually act like friends and join the fight.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
After blowing a lead and giving up five third-period goals to Vegas, the Kings were utterly feckless in the final frame against Edmonton.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
As head coach, Conte was responsible for motivating his supposedly feckless players.
—Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feckless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feckless
Adjective
-
There were certainly many unsuccessful fits and starts.—
Katie Kelly Bell,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Pearson said multiple attempts by Fish and Game to trap the bear were unsuccessful.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Looking back a half-decade from now, today’s AI systems will seem laughably resource-intensive and inefficient.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
-
This process was time-consuming, inefficient, and vulnerable to human judgment.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
The cops of wherever this is are ineffectual.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
Twentieth-century historians tended to paint the senator as an ineffectual hothead, but Tameez maintains that Sumner’s in-your-face style helped shock a complacent nation into action.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Adjective
-
The idea of ever getting comfortable or confident is almost counterproductive.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
Doing so while having to perform in games where the results are all that matter can be confounding and even counterproductive.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Feckless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feckless. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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