as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
inefficient measures to solve the problem of teenage smoking
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Recent Examples of inefficient
Examples cited include students using inefficient workarounds for simple tasks, such as manually spacing text instead of using formatting tools.
—
Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Electronic warfare systems often fail against autonomous drones with hardened communications, while missile interceptors are inefficient against low-cost, high-volume threats.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Most are badly inefficient compared with their newer counterparts, and surprisingly cheap to retrofit.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Additionally, in a typical year, 17 million gallons of gas are spilled due to the inefficient manner the fuel is conveyed.
—Chris Hildreth, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inefficient
Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Electronic warfare systems often fail against autonomous drones with hardened communications, while missile interceptors are inefficient against low-cost, high-volume threats.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Most are badly inefficient compared with their newer counterparts, and surprisingly cheap to retrofit.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Additionally, in a typical year, 17 million gallons of gas are spilled due to the inefficient manner the fuel is conveyed.
—Chris Hildreth, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inefficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficient
Adjective
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Attempts to get a comment from the district office were unsuccessful.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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Corrections staff attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful, according to the MDOC.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The foursome was similarly ineffective keeping Betts from getting to her spots, unable to deter lobs over the top of post-ups in isolation.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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During the pandemic, compounders charged exorbitant prices for ivermectin, even after the drug proved ineffective against COVID-19.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The leaks also led to major changes at Meta and in the tech industry, which began to weed out research that could be viewed as counterproductive for the companies.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
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These structured habits—doing the same thing in the same place at the same time of day—were more likely to lead to long-term success than attempting to squelch counterproductive impulses in the moment.—
Francine Russo,
Scientific American,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inefficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficient. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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