ineffectual
Americanadjective
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having no effect or an inadequate effect
-
lacking in power or forcefulness; impotent
an ineffectual ruler
Related Words
See useless.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ineffectual
A late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at in- 3, effectual
Explanation
If you are a coach with a losing team that doesn't listen to you, don't be surprised if you are called ineffectual. It means too weak to produce the desired effect. Ineffectual is similar to ineffective, but while ineffective implies that something simply doesn't work, ineffectual carries with it the idea of weakness too. An old computer might be ineffective for creating state-of-the-art digital presentations; a boss who looks the other way while her employees slack off all day, on the other hand, is ineffectual.
Vocabulary lists containing ineffectual
The Old Man and the Sea
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"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
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The Haunting of Hill House
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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.
At such moments, Marvin, a notably unemotive and cryptic actor, is less impressive than ineffectual.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
“Sinners” centers the Black American experience through history, art and spirituality, while “One Battle” speaks to the white liberal male’s ineffectual navigation of weaponized racial grievance.
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026
In this tit for tat, though, California’s threats to respond have thus far proved ineffectual.
From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025
They have been ineffectual in the establishment of any semblance of an organisation able to take over inside the country if the opportunity arises.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025
She made no ineffectual efforts to conduct her household en bonne m4nagdre, going and coming as it suited her fancy, and, so far as she was able, lending herself to any passing caprice.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
