ineffectual

[ in-i-fek-choo-uhl ]

/ ˌɪn ɪˈfɛk tʃu əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ineffectual ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not effectual; without satisfactory or decisive effect: an ineffectual remedy.

unavailing; futile: His efforts to sell the house were ineffectual.

powerless; impotent.

Nearby words

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

Origin of ineffectual

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at in-³, effectual

SYNONYMS FOR ineffectual

2 ineffective, fruitless, pointless, abortive. See useless.

3 feeble, weak.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ineffectual ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

in·ef·fec·tu·al·i·ty, in·ef·fec·tu·al·ness, nounin·ef·fec·tu·al·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for ineffectual

The Obama administration has pulled together a coalition as ineffectual as it is unwilling.
There’s Only One Way to Beat ISIS: Work With Assad and Iran|Leslie H. Gelb|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The end result only confirmed its image as disorganized and ineffectual.
Boko Haram Steps Up Its War on Kids|Nina Strochlic|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why, then, are we led to believe that her conniving ways are so ineffectual and misdirected?
The Abused Wives of Westeros: A Song of Feminism in ‘Game of Thrones’|Amy Zimmerman|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Thrones, power, politics, money, and force constantly trump goodness, in each of its ineffectual forms.
Game of Thrones’ ‘Breaker of Chains’: The Most Cynical Show on TV Bares Its Fangs Once More|Andrew Romano|April 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Hollande basically tried to remain above the fray and reinforced his already doleful image as an ineffectual executive.
Roma Immigrants Have Set France on Edge|Christopher Dickey, Alice Guilhamon|October 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The angel in thee and rejects the sprites That ineffectual crowd about his strength, And mingle with his work and claim a share!
The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846|Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett
Martin V. published a favourable bull, but it was ineffectual.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
Whether freighted richly with the essential, or merely burdened with the ineffectual, it is equally irretrievable.
The Life Radiant|Lilian Whiting
Of feeble justice, ineffectual, drop The sword and balance: mute the voice of joy, And hush'd the clamor of the busy world.
Harper's Magazine, Vol III, June 1851|Various
And the Supreme Court set the order aside, declaring it to be “ineffectual for any purpose and void.”
'The System,' as uncovered by the San Francisco Graft Prosecution|Franklin Hichborn

British Dictionary definitions for ineffectual

ineffectual

/ (ˌɪnɪˈfɛktʃʊəl) /

adjective

having no effect or an inadequate effect

lacking in power or forcefulness; impotentan ineffectual ruler

Derived Forms

ineffectuality or ineffectualness, nounineffectually, adverb

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