Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inefficient The current staffing levels are inefficient to provide the service requirements for the 988 system, the briefing stated. Taylor O’Connor, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2025 While consumer banking has been transformed by digital tools—mobile deposits, peer-to-peer payments and full-service ATMs—retailers and other businesses are still reliant on outdated, inefficient systems to manage their money. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025 One method, known as pruning, entails removing unnecessary or inefficient parts of a neural network—the sprawling web of connected data points that underlies a large model. Stephen Ornes, Wired News, 13 Apr. 2025 Hardware orders in late March reached new records, indicating operators are swapping out inefficient rigs rather than capitulating. Dave Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inefficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficient
Adjective
  • Each unsuccessful vote will be burned in a furnace with chemicals to dye the plume a black color.
    Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2025
  • Hutchinson had filed numerous unsuccessful appeals, many focused on mental health problems linked to his Army service.
    CBS News, CBS News, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • The intraparty wrangling has also hit the Democratic National Committee, where leaders are pressuring Hogg to drop a push to primary some Democratic incumbents deemed ineffective and aging.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025
  • The Crown’s offensive diversity — featuring 10 different goal scorers this season — proved ineffective against New England’s tactical discipline.
    Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Both Lyman and Nordhaus say shrinking the NRC would be counterproductive.
    Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 9 May 2025
  • But not entirely on how or who’s in charge Harvard’s public refusal of Trump’s demands, Ackman asserted this week, was a counterproductive move that led to an unnecessary legal fight, as the university soon sued the government to restore its funding.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inefficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficient. Accessed 15 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on inefficient

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!