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.
Amgen said in its quarterly earnings release in late April that the drug “demonstrates effectiveness and a favorable benefit-risk profile,” and said that vanishing bile duct syndrome hadn’t affected patients in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has said it would "periodically review" its effectiveness "to ensure that it is fit for purpose".
From BBC • May 13, 2026
We didn’t need to test the effectiveness of symptom relief.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
One dose of the vaccine is 93% effective at preventing measles; a second dose boosts effectiveness even further — to 97%, according to the CDC.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Where’s our innocent discussion about the effectiveness of speed limits?
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
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.
