1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
an ineffectual effort to find the trail again did at least lead them to another stunning view of the canyon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
another ineffectual plan to lose weight without dieting or exercising
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ineffectual
The processing element tiles operate on compressed matrices, eliminating all unnecessary and ineffectual computation.
—
Olivia Hsu,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 Apr. 2026
The power struggle swirls around the saintly, ineffectual King Henry until gradually the dynamic York, who has pretended to support Margaret while secretly hatching his own plot, emerges as the chief contender for the throne.
—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Others get more personal, as when Anushka (Meaghan Rath), the ineffectual chief ethicist at a Google-like giant, and her oddball inventor husband, Martin (Simon Helberg), butt heads over her skepticism of his work.
—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
However, those clauses have proved largely ineffectual, according to Conklin.
—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ineffectual
Olivia Hsu,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 Apr. 2026
The power struggle swirls around the saintly, ineffectual King Henry until gradually the dynamic York, who has pretended to support Margaret while secretly hatching his own plot, emerges as the chief contender for the throne.
—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Others get more personal, as when Anushka (Meaghan Rath), the ineffectual chief ethicist at a Google-like giant, and her oddball inventor husband, Martin (Simon Helberg), butt heads over her skepticism of his work.
—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
However, those clauses have proved largely ineffectual, according to Conklin.
—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ineffectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffectual
Adjective
-
Her 36-year-old NFL star boyfriend was also coming off another season playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, which ended with an unsuccessful campaign for a third consecutive Super Bowl ring.
-
However, the efforts were unsuccessful, according to the statement.
Adjective
-
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.
-
All these plans acknowledge the experience gap, namely that training without arranging relevant work experience is often futile.
Adjective
-
When operations are inefficient or inconsistent because the underlying tech can’t keep up, customers quickly get frustrated.
-
Clicking on a task opens it up in a dedicated page, which is a remarkably inefficient use of space.
Adjective
-
At any rate, upon election my first official act would be to file legislation to do away with the useless job.
-
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
-
Perhaps unsurprisingly, subsequent attempts at diplomacy, led by the ailing diplomat and intellectual Benjamin Franklin, also proved ineffective.
-
Skunks would rather put up with the strong scent of mothballs than leave a hospitable environment, making mothballs totally ineffective against skunks.
Adjective
-
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.
-
This sophisticated system prevents metabolically expensive and functionally counterproductive perpetual growth, ensuring hair serves specific protective and insulating roles.
Cite this Entry
“Ineffectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffectual. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
