1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
an ineffective effort to reduce unemployment that only spurred inflation
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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
However, mosquitoes are quickly evolving counterstrategies that make these insecticides ineffective, putting millions of people at greater risk of deadly infection.
—
Jacob A Tennessen, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Kelley had previously criticized that approach as ineffective.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Complaints vary from inquiries sent through the website going unanswered and erroneous card charges to broken or ineffective merchandise.
—Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The approach quickly proved ineffective.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Jacob A Tennessen, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Kelley had previously criticized that approach as ineffective.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Complaints vary from inquiries sent through the website going unanswered and erroneous card charges to broken or ineffective merchandise.
—Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The approach quickly proved ineffective.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffective
Adjective
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An attempt to get a comment from Scrooge Sul about the allegations was unsuccessful.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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The man had surgical hardware in his right ankle but attempts to identify him from the serial numbers were unsuccessful, according to the medical examiner’s office.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Catcher Logan O’Hoppe picked it up and then threw it away in a futile attempt to get the out at first.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
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The latter, a wry comedy of futile endeavor, was based on a story by Kiarostami, but Haghighi soon sought to shake off Kiarostami’s influence—and, even more, a prevailing caricature of Iranian cinema that Kiarostami’s style had given rise to.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Additionally, in a typical year, 17 million gallons of gas are spilled due to the inefficient manner the fuel is conveyed.—
Chris Hildreth,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
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With the help of Ware’s positive minutes, the Heat survived an inefficient shooting night from Adebayo.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Bernadine appeared to be useless—or, worse, a potential double agent.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Sending your resume into the void has never felt more useless.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The leaks also led to major changes at Meta and in the tech industry, which began to weed out research that could be viewed as counterproductive for the companies.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
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These structured habits—doing the same thing in the same place at the same time of day—were more likely to lead to long-term success than attempting to squelch counterproductive impulses in the moment.—
Francine Russo,
Scientific American,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ineffective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffective. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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