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
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.
There was a time when the phrase “pet parenting” was an acronym for a decidedly human enterprise called Parent Effectiveness Training.
From Salon • Jun. 16, 2025
"Effectiveness of Antidepressants in Combination with Psychotherapy" was published online in The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics in March 2024.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2024
Effectiveness against infection may start declining within a few months, so people at high risk for severe outcomes might need boosters more often.
From Washington Post • Feb. 7, 2023
Effectiveness fell to 37% against BA.5 and 43% against XBB/XBB.1.5 among those aged 65 years and older.
From Reuters • Jan. 25, 2023
The Effectiveness of the Message arises from the Completeness with which it Meets the Needs of Men.
From The Message and the Man: Some Essentials of Effective Preaching by Jackson, J. Dodd (James Dodd)
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.
