effectively
Americanadverb
-
in a way that accomplishes a purpose or produces the intended or expected results.
These scissors are no longer sharp and do not cut effectively.
You may not like all your coworkers, but you still have to learn to work effectively with them.
-
in actuality; in practice.
Allowing the legislature to take existing money for schools and use it for other purposes effectively means there will be no new money for education.
-
in a way that produces a vivid impression; strikingly.
The visually rich photographs are effectively displayed against the stark white gallery walls.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of effectively
Explanation
Effectively is an adverb with two meanings; use it if you want to describe something that's done in an effective manner or as a replacement for words like "actually" or "basically." If wearing special gloves helps you catch a football more effectively, then it helps you get the job done better and more efficiently. People usually want to do their jobs more effectively. But this word can also mean actually or basically. If your grandparents are raising you, they are effectively your parents, and you are effectively their children. Whether they're raising you effectively in the first sense is another matter.
Vocabulary lists containing effectively
Inside: Academic Vocabulary
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4.3: Origins and Impact of the Western European Empires in the North Atlantic (Sources 1–9)
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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.
They jam together, modestly but effectively enough to make their recording session real to us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Outside of states with guaranteed issue and community rated Medigap policies, enrollees may effectively be unable to switch even after their preferences change,” the study said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Aston Villa finished fourth and won the Europa League in a season of stunning success under Unai Emery, but this is effectively the start of a new era at Villa Park.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
With the strait -- through which about a fifth of world oil and gas passes -- effectively closed for the foreseeable future and energy costs unlikely to come down, inflation fears are growing.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
The only thing it could do effectively, however, was to treat malaria, which Garfield didn't have.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
