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
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2
as in futile
producing no results
another ineffectual plan to lose weight without dieting or exercising
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ineffectual
The men in their lives are bumbling, terrible or just ineffectual.
—
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025
But two factors are important to keep in mind to help explain why even trying to front-run a White House announcement would be ineffectual.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
For a business, a high-speed connection can mean the difference between productive or ineffectual operations, customer satisfaction or abandonment, and ultimately profit or loss.
—Glenn Katz, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Without the backing and the power of the United States, by then the richest country in the world, the League of Nations became an ineffectual shell of what it was meant to be.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffectual
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025
But two factors are important to keep in mind to help explain why even trying to front-run a White House announcement would be ineffectual.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
For a business, a high-speed connection can mean the difference between productive or ineffectual operations, customer satisfaction or abandonment, and ultimately profit or loss.
—Glenn Katz, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Without the backing and the power of the United States, by then the richest country in the world, the League of Nations became an ineffectual shell of what it was meant to be.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffectual
Adjective
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Several attempts to establish at least a partial ceasefire have been unsuccessful.—
DASHA LITVINOVA,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2025
-
Later that month, Kalyn Free, an attorney from Oklahoma who was unsuccessful in her bid for a vice chair position, filed a complaint alleging that the DNC improperly merged two separate questions into a single vote.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Though their efforts were futile, their remains provide remarkable insight into the doomed city’s final moments.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
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Through the two-hour journey that makes up the Thunderbolt’s origin story, the audience experiences the way these skilled fighters continue butting heads over the most futile issues.—
Malik Peay,
Essence,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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The space weather exercise overseen by NOAA found that inefficient communication between space weather experts and other government agencies and stakeholders likely to deal with the fallout of these incidents could lead to incorrect conclusions.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
16 May 2025
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Businesses often overlook the financial consequences of poor hiring decisions or inefficient technology, yet these areas directly affect the bottom line.—
Raja Walia,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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But in a time long before replay could overturn a call, protest was useless.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2025
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Those strong starts are useless if the Celtics can’t hold onto the advantage.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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The inability to raise the left can render his height advantage ineffective on the glass.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
9 May 2025
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Extracts of garlic, hot pepper, orange peels or companion planting are ineffective.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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Both Lyman and Nordhaus say shrinking the NRC would be counterproductive.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
9 May 2025
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But not entirely on how or who’s in charge Harvard’s public refusal of Trump’s demands, Ackman asserted this week, was a counterproductive move that led to an unnecessary legal fight, as the university soon sued the government to restore its funding.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ineffectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffectual. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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