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

If granted, the court effectively would allow the administration to revoke TPS for Haitian nationals.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

The country’s biggest field, Rumaila, is effectively run by a joint venture between BP and PetroChina under a deal with state-owned Iraqi companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

However, they warned that the longer the strait is effectively closed, “the slower the production recovery is likely to be.”

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

He’s proposed the Fed sell off the bulk of its assets and print less money, moves he argues will effectively shift the power to set interest rates to the private market.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

The “departure” that Blatch, other suffragist leaders, and particularly Alice Paul came up with was picketing, a tactic that Blatch and Paul had seen used effectively when they had aided British suffragists.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

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