effectively

American  

[ih-fek-tiv-lee, ee-fek‐] / ɪˈfɛk tɪv li, iˈfɛk‐ /

adverb

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. in a way that produces a vivid impression; strikingly.

   The visually rich photographs are effectively displayed against the stark white gallery walls.

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Other Word Forms

• preeffectively
  adverb
• quasi-effectively
  adverb
• subeffectively
  adverb
• supereffectively
  adverb
• uneffectively
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of effectively

effective ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Example Sentences

Without active efforts to lower players’ core temperatures, pausing game play may not be enough to effectively stave off heat injury, he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026

The IOC has always insisted Russia was banned not because of the invasion per se, but because the Russian Olympic Committee effectively took over regional sports organisations in occupied Ukrainian territories.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026

Both your parents are now deceased, the damage has been done, and your brother has effectively liquidated their estate.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026

Public rebukes followed Hegseth’s decision last month to effectively fire Gen. Chris Donahue, a respected four-star commander who came up the ranks through the special forces.

From Salon • Jul. 7, 2026

Franklin’s endorsement of the petition from the Pennsylvania Abolition Society effectively assured that the preferred Madisonian strategy—calmly receiving these requests, then banishing them to the congressional version of oblivion—was not going to work.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• adequately
• completely
• definitely
• dramatically
• energetically
• finally
• forcefully
• productively