1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
his efforts to restore the neglected houseplant back to health were belated and sadly inefficacious
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
an inefficacious medication for a rare form of tuberculosis
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inefficacious
Most wore inefficacious cloth masks, too.
—
James Lileks, National Review, 25 Aug. 2022
Day — who grew up watching the spelling bee — came up with the concept of exploring the psyche of a winner with an ultimately inefficacious career in 2015 while at a UCB improv sketch-writing class.
—NBC News, 6 Oct. 2020
James Lileks, National Review, 25 Aug. 2022
Day — who grew up watching the spelling bee — came up with the concept of exploring the psyche of a winner with an ultimately inefficacious career in 2015 while at a UCB improv sketch-writing class.
—NBC News, 6 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficacious
Adjective
-
First responders also attempted to revive Riccardo, but were unsuccessful, the outlet added.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
12 July 2025
-
All attempts to resuscitate the man were unsuccessful, Park Service officials said.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Go with the flow, but not toward the beach: Trying to swim directly toward the beach when caught in a rip current is futile and exhausting.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
6 July 2025
-
This group saw military responses as futile, as Iran was assumed to have escalation dominance.—
JAMES JEFFREY,
Foreign Affairs,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
More than inefficient, manual finance operations introduce unnecessary risk.—
John Rubinetti,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
This is not hyperbole: burning oil to power a car or burning coal to produce electricity is at best slightly more than thirty per cent efficient—or seventy per cent inefficient.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Towns and hamlets have been largely pulverized along the front lines and for miles beyond; even American air defenses are mostly useless, because setting them up invites an immediate Russian attack.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
Apart from evidence, some of the most important testimonies in the case were also deemed useless during the investigation.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
Clark was largely ineffective, recording 10 points, six assists, five rebounds and four turnovers.—
Garrett Chorpenning,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
-
Patients, many of whom are living with chronic, complex conditions, may receive care that is ineffective, inappropriate or dismissive.—
Hany Demian,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Jose Palma, co-coordinator at the National TPS Alliance, said the move was counterproductive.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 July 2025
-
If the goal is to obtain compliance, masks are counterproductive.—
Christy Lopez Guest,
Mercury News,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inefficacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficacious. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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