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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ineffective
The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals later rejected a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel against him.
—
Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2025
Asle Toje, the deputy leader of the present Norwegian Nobel Committee, echoed the view that promotional campaigns are ineffective.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
As an example to all those who would presume to think that the Malagasy monarchy still existed, that the colonial occupation was ineffective?
—Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025
What’s at stake here is whether states should endorse practices that every major medical and mental-health association has already disavowed as dangerous and ineffective.
—Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2025
Asle Toje, the deputy leader of the present Norwegian Nobel Committee, echoed the view that promotional campaigns are ineffective.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
As an example to all those who would presume to think that the Malagasy monarchy still existed, that the colonial occupation was ineffective?
—Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025
What’s at stake here is whether states should endorse practices that every major medical and mental-health association has already disavowed as dangerous and ineffective.
—Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, Time, 8 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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Miles are useless for trying to define how enormous our galaxy is.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
12 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement One Battle After Another, Eddington, and The Mastermind all comedically register white men as useless political collaborators.—
Robert Daniels,
Time,
10 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 19 Oct. 2025.
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