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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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
-
Romo was starting to describe how Mahomes was complaining about the attempt being unsuccessful when he was interrupted by the Chiefs running the ball and picking up the first down.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
-
However, the shooting was unsuccessful and Alex suffered only superficial wounds.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This advocacy, however, proved futile.—
Time,
Time,
20 Oct. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
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
-
There have been problems festering — especially with a lackluster, inefficient offense.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Miles are useless for trying to define how enormous our galaxy is.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
12 Oct. 2025
-
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
-
Ashby was one of the team’s few ineffective relievers in the National League Division Series.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2025
-
But their entire run scheme was ineffective for long stretches, as Denver finished with just 78 yards on 26 carries.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Still, student editors argue the move to cut print is counterproductive since advertising revenue generated $11,000 in profit from three print editions this semester.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
17 Oct. 2025
-
On face value, this seems counterproductive for even a microorganism, where replication and in turn genetic survival is a driving force.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inefficacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficacious. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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