1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
his efforts to restore the neglected houseplant back to health were belated and sadly inefficacious
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
an inefficacious medication for a rare form of tuberculosis
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Recent Examples of inefficacious
Most wore inefficacious cloth masks, too.
—
James Lileks, National Review, 25 Aug. 2022
Day — who grew up watching the spelling bee — came up with the concept of exploring the psyche of a winner with an ultimately inefficacious career in 2015 while at a UCB improv sketch-writing class.
—NBC News, 6 Oct. 2020
James Lileks, National Review, 25 Aug. 2022
Day — who grew up watching the spelling bee — came up with the concept of exploring the psyche of a winner with an ultimately inefficacious career in 2015 while at a UCB improv sketch-writing class.
—NBC News, 6 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficacious
Adjective
-
While Hadden-Paton was unsuccessful in keeping his dapper suit, his costar, Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, confessed to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan on Live!—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reached out for comment but was unsuccessful.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In other words, resistance is futile.—
Mia Sosa,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
-
If anything, Shock and Awe mostly reminds you how futile living in the madness of a Fake News world can be.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Technology has removed many of the barriers that used to make solopreneurship inefficient.—
Matteo Pittaluga,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Chad Wackerman, a drummer and teacher, believes this change in technique —favoring the biceps over the wrist to create a louder sound — is to blame for an inefficient playing style.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Digital fingerprinting collates an array of data from your phone — your IP address, device model and OS, time zone, setup and anything else if can get — to create a unique identifier in aggregate, even if each individual data snippet us useless on its own.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Never mind that large language models have so far proven useless at 95% of the companies that have made their workforces try to use them, researchers from MIT recently found.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The American Psychological Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and other medical associations have issued statements calling the practice harmful and ineffective at altering someone’s identity.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Companies are forced to place massive bets on drug targets that ultimately prove ineffective or unsafe.—
Miguel Llorca,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Today’s resolution is yet another counterproductive gesture that only rewards Hamas, drags out the war and undercuts the very diplomatic efforts to free the hostages and end the suffering in Gaza.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Just cutting the reeds is counterproductive.—
Steven Franck,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inefficacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficacious. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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