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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
-
But her appeal was unsuccessful.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Industry lobbying unsuccessful to date Some advocates for the restaurant industry have been lobbying to change the way service fees are treated.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Police struggle to maintain order, their wooden sticks cracking against the pavement in a futile attempt to control the sheer mass of people.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Trying to win new, younger shoppers is expensive and may end up being futile.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Team members are always affected the most by old-fashioned work habits and inefficient operations— which cause the need for most transformation efforts.—
Phil Gilbert,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Joel Quenneville’s immediate impact has been undeniable, while new assistants Jay Woodcroft and Ryan McGill have sparked improvement in what were terribly inefficient special teams last season.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Pattinson plays the character’s increasingly useless husband.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
-
My French was useless—I was also considered a tourist by association.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The report also concluded that the techniques used were ineffective.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
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Two years later, after more legal wrangling, the Connecticut Supreme Court voted narrowly to overturn his conviction, ruling that Skakel's right to a fair trial was compromised by ineffective legal representation.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Even Bill Gates, a onetime stalwart champion of climate action, said this week that near-term emissions targets are a distraction at best and could even be counterproductive for human welfare.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
-
What resulted is one of the most comic, counterproductive, and clumsy episodes in the long history of British efforts to deal with Ireland.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inefficacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficacious. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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