as in inability
the lack of ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy
The candidate blamed her opponent for the local government's inefficiency.
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Recent Examples of inefficiency
But Jokic’s individual inefficiency stood out.
—
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Drinkwitz pointed to third-down inefficiency as the root cause of last week’s offensive stagnation.
—Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
Tatar says these small but impactful changes compound over time, helping both workers and executives avoid the exhaustion and inefficiency that can come with new office mandates.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
A couple of years ago, someone in uniform told me that the greatest inefficiency in MLB today is hiring your buddies.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inefficiency
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Drinkwitz pointed to third-down inefficiency as the root cause of last week’s offensive stagnation.
—Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
Tatar says these small but impactful changes compound over time, helping both workers and executives avoid the exhaustion and inefficiency that can come with new office mandates.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
A couple of years ago, someone in uniform told me that the greatest inefficiency in MLB today is hiring your buddies.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inefficiency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficiency
Noun
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Conventional approaches, such as visual serving and force control, often struggle to achieve reliable performance due to their inability to simultaneously address positional and force-related uncertainties.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
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The victim told police that Ising had constantly harassed him at work for two years, sitting next to him during meals and joking about his inability to eat many foods because of his medical condition.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While audits and other actions by state officials are important to protect the interests of taxpayers, rarely do misdeeds or incompetence result in any consequences.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
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Choking and general gross incompetence is never advised.—
Chris Bumbaca,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Maybe that data suggests incompetency in the sporting director role.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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The National Geographic series dives into footage and narratives from officials leading the disaster response at the time, revealing incompetencies and false information from the media that cost locals their lives.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Mike Vrabel has blamed his squad’s ground ineffectiveness on his RB stable being too ball-security focused.—
Brad Evans,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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The evidence of its ineffectiveness and risks has led 23 states to pass legislation banning or limiting the use of conversion therapy for minors.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inefficiency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficiency. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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