ineffective

[in-i-fek-tiv]

adjective

1. not effective; not producing results; ineffectual.

   ineffective efforts; ineffective remedies.

2. inefficient or incompetent; incapable.

   an ineffective manager.

3. lacking in artistic effect, as a literary work, theatrical production, or painting.

ineffective

/ ˌɪnɪˈfɛktɪv /

adjective

1. having no effect

2. incompetent or inefficient

Other Word Forms

• ineffectively adverb
• ineffectiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ineffective¹

First recorded in 1645–55; in- ³ + effective

Example Sentences

Flying a drone over the Caribbean is easier than over Ukraine, where electronic warfare has rendered many American-made drones ineffective or unusable, and the distances are shorter than in a hypothetical China-Taiwan conflict.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Safety technology, such as sensors, can be ineffective and costly to repair, they will argue.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The government launched a safe schools initiative in 2014, but the strategy appears to have been ineffective.

Read more on Barron's

Some argue that international aid is ineffective or doesn’t help nations in the long term.

Read more on Salon

But the policy remains a paradox - hailed as a social reform by some, criticised as ineffective by others.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• feeble 
• fruitless 
• futile 
• impotent 
• inadequate 
• incompetent 
• indecisive 
• ineffectual 
• inefficient 
• inept 
• limited 
• null 
• powerless 
• unable 
• unproductive 
• unprofitable 
• unsuccessful 
• worthless