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.
In another case, an Israeli military official said Iran repaired a bridge that Israel had struck with three bombs within days, surprising Israeli officials and prompting them to question the effectiveness of their targeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Unlike the other peptides, there are some studies assessing its clinical effectiveness; however, they were all conducted in the ’80s and ’90s, and the FDA described the results as “inconclusive and at best preliminary.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Now, through a collaboration with Scripps Research, the library has helped scientists restore the effectiveness of vancomycin.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Tuchel was hampered by Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka struggling with illness and injuries, reducing the effectiveness of a pair he would have been counting on.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
It was like old Mission Impossible reruns on TV: Your mission, if you decide to accept it, is to get inside this computerized robot, discover how it operates, and neutralize its effectiveness.
From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
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.
