1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
an ineffective effort to reduce unemployment that only spurred inflation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
an ineffective medication that will be denied FDA approval
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ineffective
Alpenblow also says its inflator is ineffective for stoking a fire due to the non-laminar airflow, whereas Nitecore advertises fire stoking as another use for the AP01.
—
New Atlas, 20 Apr. 2026
Many Americans now view the state as either ineffective or captured by the industries it is supposed to regulate.
—Nicolas S. Rohatyn, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Major medical and mental health organizations have consistently concluded that conversion therapy is ineffective and carries serious risks of harm.
—A.j. Russo, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2026
Trump responded sharply the following day, criticizing the pope's leadership and accusing him of being weak on crime and ineffective on foreign policy.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
New Atlas, 20 Apr. 2026
Many Americans now view the state as either ineffective or captured by the industries it is supposed to regulate.
—Nicolas S. Rohatyn, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Major medical and mental health organizations have consistently concluded that conversion therapy is ineffective and carries serious risks of harm.
—A.j. Russo, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2026
Trump responded sharply the following day, criticizing the pope's leadership and accusing him of being weak on crime and ineffective on foreign policy.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffective
Adjective
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The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it toward deeper seas were livestreamed across the globe.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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The child was taken to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Azle, where additional lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, the sheriff's office said.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Bayern coach José Barcala was also shown red by referee Ivana Martinčić for his protests, which were futile because a VAR check confirmed Kett’s foul.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
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The entire Earth knows it, and that makes trading Aiyuk for anything notable a nearly futile undertaking.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The middle innings are when things tend to get inefficient for Peralta.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
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The idea for Revise emerged from Sapek’s observations of how documents are handled in professional settings, where workflows can involve multiple versions, inefficient copying and pasting between chat apps and word processors, and limited visibility into revision history.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In a generally useless exercise, NFL draft analysts have delivered their annual grades.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
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What also follows is a useless debate over the cultural impact of the movie amid concerns that the film is a little loose with the truth or outright forgetful about key moments of Jackson’s complex and complicated life.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Western dominance over cross-border media flows and the increasing concentration of ownership of national and international media by a limited number of Western conglomerates were identified as counterproductive to such ideals.—
Stijn Joye,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
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The departure of Matt Roy was hedged somewhat by the signing of Joel Edmundson two summers ago, but replacing Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence with Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci while Drew Doughty, 36 and in his 18th season, grays and frays has proven highly counterproductive.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ineffective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffective. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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