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
Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth NO: Reducing heavy-duty vehicle pollution is a worthwhile goal, but asking taxpayers to subsidize up to $120,000 per truck is an inefficient approach.
—
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2026
The reason for this decision may be how the rapid buildout of Colossus incorporated a mix of different Nvidia GPU chips that was very inefficient for AI training workloads, according to reporting by Tom’s Hardware.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 21 May 2026
Modern classical algorithms use other methods but remain inefficient because the execution time increases exponentially with the size of the number to be factored.
—Zeeya Merali, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
Chemical leaching can be costly, inefficient, and harmful to the environment.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for inefficient
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2026
The reason for this decision may be how the rapid buildout of Colossus incorporated a mix of different Nvidia GPU chips that was very inefficient for AI training workloads, according to reporting by Tom’s Hardware.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 21 May 2026
Modern classical algorithms use other methods but remain inefficient because the execution time increases exponentially with the size of the number to be factored.
—Zeeya Merali, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
Chemical leaching can be costly, inefficient, and harmful to the environment.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for inefficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficient
Adjective
-
Attempts to interview him were unsuccessful.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
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Trump has denied Carroll’s allegations against him and tried to appeal both verdicts but has been unsuccessful in both cases, putting him on the verge of having to pay out millions.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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After cementing a consecutive MVP season as a three-level scorer, playmaker, and yes, free-throw merchant, Gilgeous Alexander looked remarkably ineffective against the Spurs.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Weiss said the real worry among some researchers is not that psychedelic therapies are ineffective, but that political momentum could outpace the scientific process.—
Brandon Gomez,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Beyond becoming the office scapegoat, AI employees were actually counterproductive in many companies’ mission to increase AI adoption in the workplace.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
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Perhaps folks view Laesch’s behavior as obnoxious or counterproductive or simply not in his lane.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inefficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficient. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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