ineffective

[ in-i-fek-tiv ]

/ ˌɪn ɪˈfɛk tɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ineffective ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not effective; not producing results; ineffectual: ineffective efforts; ineffective remedies.

inefficient or incompetent; incapable: an ineffective manager.

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

Nearby words

inedited, ineducable, ineducation, ineffable, ineffaceable, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, inefficacy, inefficiency, inefficient

Origin of ineffective

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

Related forms

in·ef·fec·tive·ly, adverbin·ef·fec·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ineffectiveness

But inefficiency and ineffectiveness are not its only evils.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Conservatives in this country will undoubtedly pile on the United Nations for its ineffectiveness.
Syrian Crisis Won’t Be Resolved With the Tactics Used in Libya|P.J. Crowley|August 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The American police are generally admitted to be open with special frequency to the charge of ineffectiveness and venality.
The Task of Social Hygiene|Havelock Ellis
The worst feature of the experiment was its ineffectiveness.
Jefferson and his Colleagues|Allen Johnson

In the diagram, Fig. 108, the ineffectiveness of the thrust is shown at those points.
Motors|James Slough Zerbe
Here, I think, is where much of the ineffectiveness of courses in argument is to be found.
The Making of Arguments|J. H. Gardiner
Here he became pitiful in his ineffectiveness, and Clytie had at last to admit that he would never be the elocutionist Allan was.
The Seeker|Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for ineffectiveness

ineffective

/ (ˌɪnɪˈfɛktɪv) /

adjective

having no effect

incompetent or inefficient

Derived Forms

ineffectively, adverbineffectiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012