1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
an ineffective effort to reduce unemployment that only spurred inflation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
an ineffective medication that will be denied FDA approval
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ineffective
Investigators are separately examining the warehouse's private fire protection water system, which officials said became ineffective during the firefight.
—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Despite their righteous cause, though, much of these campaigns turn out ineffective, largely due to many universities’ reliance on government funding (and overcompliance to get it), a fact aggressively exploited by the state and federal government.
—
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Always ensure that the traps are placed out of reach of children and pets to prevent accidental ingestion or interference, which could lead to harm or render the trap ineffective.
—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
17 June 2026
The Clippers will surely decline his $16 million option after knee issues have rendered Bogdanović ineffective over the last two seasons.
—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Despite their righteous cause, though, much of these campaigns turn out ineffective, largely due to many universities’ reliance on government funding (and overcompliance to get it), a fact aggressively exploited by the state and federal government.
—
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Always ensure that the traps are placed out of reach of children and pets to prevent accidental ingestion or interference, which could lead to harm or render the trap ineffective.
—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
17 June 2026
The Clippers will surely decline his $16 million option after knee issues have rendered Bogdanović ineffective over the last two seasons.
—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffective
Adjective
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More than a decade ago, her association sought the same change at the federal level and was unsuccessful — opposed at the time by Wine Institute.
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The city had taken it over, but several attempts at renovation were unsuccessful, until Alan Leventhal, chief executive of Beacon Capital Partners, happened to see the building and envisioned it as a great hotel.
Adjective
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Exciting and futile The Humans to Titan Summit was both exciting and futile, said Pascal Lee, chairman of the Mars Institute and a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute.
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All these plans acknowledge the experience gap, namely that training without arranging relevant work experience is often futile.
Adjective
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When operations are inefficient or inconsistent because the underlying tech can’t keep up, customers quickly get frustrated.
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Clicking on a task opens it up in a dedicated page, which is a remarkably inefficient use of space.
Adjective
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At any rate, upon election my first official act would be to file legislation to do away with the useless job.
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An ultra-secure cloud environment is useless if the identity management policy is lax or if access privileges are not reviewed on a strict need-to-know basis.
Adjective
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In his letter, Leo repeated the Vatican's offer of dialogue and said that going through with the consecrations would be counterproductive for the SSPX faithful.
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This sophisticated system prevents metabolically expensive and functionally counterproductive perpetual growth, ensuring hair serves specific protective and insulating roles.
Cite this Entry
“Ineffective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffective. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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