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.
When you go to a site, PHP is the code which collects data and effectively turns it into a page you can read.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The researchers suspect that the combination of nutrients in a balanced diet, along with an individual's overall health, may influence how effectively omega-3s support the brain.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
Nigeria successfully held back that outbreak within its borders, resulting in only 19 infections and seven deaths -- raising confidence the densely packed nation of 240 million can respond effectively to new public health threats.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Any sequence of events that leads a person, especially someone like your father-in-law who is 81 years old, to effectively make himself penniless and dependent on others raises serious alarm bells.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
The patients at Carville are effectively prisoners—they aren’t allowed to leave without permission—but in some ways, Carville is more progressive than other southern communities.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
