feckless
Americanadjective
-
ineffective; incompetent; futile.
feckless attempts to repair the plumbing.
-
having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy.
adjective
Usage
What does feckless mean? Feckless describes an irresolute, weak, or ineffective action or person. Content warning: This article contains reference to some strong language.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of feckless
First recorded in 1590–1600; originally Scots, from feck ( late Middle English ( Scots ) fek, shortened from effeck, Scots form of effect ) + -less
Explanation
If a newspaper editorial describes a politician as feckless, you might wonder, "What is feck, and why doesn’t he have any?” In fact, the columnist is accusing the politician of being irresponsible and incompetent. Did you know that most varieties of English are in fact “feck”-less? They don’t contain a word feck, only the negative counterpart feckless. The “feck” in feckless began as a short form of effect used in the Scots dialect. So feckless essentially means "ineffective," but is also used to describe someone who is irresponsible, incompetent, inept, or without purpose in life.
Vocabulary lists containing feckless
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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Into the Wild
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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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.
Just because he did not put money aside for retirement does not mean he’s financially feckless.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
In some regards this narrator, a husband and father, is Mr. Lerner’s most mature alter ego, but he often seems like the same schlemiel as the feckless grad student in “Leaving the Atocha Station.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Your mileage may vary as to whether Egg Whataboutism is a feckless approach.
From Slate • Jan. 27, 2025
McCarthy declined to be interviewed, perhaps because of the ways — feckless, morally bankrupt — your friendly columnist has described him.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2024
They stayed, stubborn relics of a misplaced childhood, reminding anyone who witnessed his pointless, endless, feckless belligerence, that this man was once a boy.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
