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
Derived 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.
This allows some pathogens to persist longer in drinking water systems and potentially spread more effectively.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026
The Dragon effectively functions as a lifeboat - attached to the station but ready to detach the moment the order is given.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Guy de la Bédoyère’s “The Confessions of Samuel Pepys” is effectively a supplement to the superlative complete edition made by Robert Latham and William Matthews and published in 11 volumes between 1970 and 1983.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
To generate typical real returns of 7% a year from here, Baker calculates, the S&P would have to rise to levels that are effectively impossible.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
In practice, the range of beliefs that can come to be generally shared and effectively unquestioned within a society is enormous.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
