1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
an ineffective effort to reduce unemployment that only spurred inflation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
an ineffective medication that will be denied FDA approval
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ineffective
For most of the 2025 season, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was saddled with a bullpen that was largely ineffective, unhealthy, or some combination of both.
—
Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
But those plans can be quite narrow and ineffective for addressing flood damage.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Extracts of garlic, hot pepper, orange peels or companion planting are ineffective.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2025
Half the states have outlawed the practice as ineffective and harmful to minors, often on a bipartisan basis.
—ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
But those plans can be quite narrow and ineffective for addressing flood damage.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Extracts of garlic, hot pepper, orange peels or companion planting are ineffective.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2025
Half the states have outlawed the practice as ineffective and harmful to minors, often on a bipartisan basis.
—ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffective
Adjective
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Lake Worth police officers and animal control officers searched the area to find the suspect and the brown pit bull but were unsuccessful, police said.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Oct. 2025
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After unsuccessful attempts to identify them, the bodies were declared unidentifiable.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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False accusations cannot be rebutted, and any attempt to secure compensation or correction through the courts is futile; no open debate is allowed in the domain of thought and art.—
Jonny Diamond,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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While some fans defended Jones, arguing that the defense was told to let the Jaguars score to give Patrick Mahomes and the offense more time to respond, banking on less than 30 seconds to tie the game proved futile to the Chiefs, who fell to 2-3 on the season.—
Trevor Squire,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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One is that payments to a narrow group of those affected by unwise trade policies are economically inefficient.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
12 Oct. 2025
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There have been problems festering — especially with a lackluster, inefficient offense.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Because social platforms have not trained their detection models on sufficient non-English-language and non-Western data, much of the AI-fakes detection technology is still very shaky, if not useless, in the Global South and across the developing world.—
John Wihbey,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
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House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) suggested on Friday that returning to Washington would be all but useless.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Trump’s track record on promoting peace aside, experts cautioned that his intense efforts to obtain the peace prize are likely counterproductive.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
9 Oct. 2025
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Others—such as an eagerness to engage someone in combat—work in the gym, ring, and battlefield but become counterproductive and even destructive outside of those contexts.—
Dan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ineffective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffective. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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