1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
his efforts to restore the neglected houseplant back to health were belated and sadly inefficacious
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
-
The Star-Telegram attempted to reach Atkins for comment, but was unsuccessful.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Last year, the moderate Democrat took on a crowded field of candidates in an unsuccessful bid to become New York City mayor.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The metallic sheets cannot stop the damage Echard seeks to impose on her canvases, much like those tinfoil hats that some use in confused, futile efforts to shield themselves from pernicious invisible forces.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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But other professors, perhaps concluding that resistance is futile, are adjusting to the media their students grew up on.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This fragmentation creates blind spots that contribute to adverse drug events, duplication of therapy and inefficient care and harms that ultimately drive up total health care costs.—
Sreedhar Potarazu,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
-
But both ways can be slow, expensive and inefficient.—
Eric Sullivan,
Scientific American,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Homeowners and residents are baffled by the attacks upon their beautiful — but otherwise seemingly useless — plants.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
My deep cynicism thinks this was a diabolical plan to herd young people toward expensive, and somewhat useless, college degrees.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The introductions of Ruben Dias and Rayan Cherki bolstered City, whereas Slot was slow to take off the ineffective Cody Gakpo, with Jones still waiting to be introduced when the visitors equalised.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Research consistently shows that competition from private schools encourages public schools to improve communication with families, replace ineffective staff and innovate instruction.—
Paul Vallas,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Why Steyer has changed his mind despite his familiarity with the evidence that rent control is counterproductive is anyone’s guess.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Installing Warsh wouldn’t guarantee that the Fed embarks on this counterproductive course.—
Binyamin Appelbaum,
Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inefficacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficacious. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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