effectiveness
Americannoun
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the quality of producing an intended or desired result.
For maximum effectiveness of your weight loss plan, you need to combine exercise with a healthy diet.
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the quality of producing a deep or vivid impression.
We were struck by the evident appeal and effectiveness of these short, dramatic, upbeat video stories.
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a measure of the success of a vaccine or other pharmaceutical when used in the real world, as opposed to the controlled environment of a clinical trial.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of effectiveness
First recorded in 1600–10; effective ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing effectiveness
Reading: Informational - Middle School
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Media Literacy - High School
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Media Literacy - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In addition to their limited effectiveness, opioids were linked to a higher risk of side effects in several situations, including acute musculoskeletal pain, traumatic limb injuries, and some forms of post surgical pain.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
To address this issue, Mody trains APCs in paracervical blocks and is currently conducting three studies to further evaluate the procedure’s effectiveness.
From Slate • Jun. 7, 2026
Earlier this week British government officials said they had ruled out introducing temperature checks at UK airports for flights arriving from affected regions because of their limited effectiveness.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
But others in the bloc, including France and Spain, have questioned their effectiveness.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
His death was a severe setback to the government, and the effectiveness and aggressiveness of the Crown team diminished from that point on.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
