inefficacy

American  

[in-ef-i-kuh-see] / ɪnˈɛf ɪ kə si /

noun

1. lack of power or capacity to produce the desired effect.

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Etymology

Origin of inefficacy

From the Late Latin word inefficācia, dating back to 1605–15. See in- ³, efficacy

Example Sentences

The process is often triggered by post-approval studies showing inefficacy, according to Harvard Law professor I. Glenn Cohen.

From Reuters • Mar. 23, 2023

He seemed to think he could figure this out, make the kind of adjustment he has made so many times before in a career defined by his ability to stave off long stretches of inefficacy.

From Washington Post • Oct. 7, 2022

Phil Jackson took over the team the next year, ushering in a new period of inefficacy for the team.

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2021

He justified the approach by pointing to the inefficacy of other methods and asserting that there was “an intimate connection between the story of the patient’s sufferings and the symptoms of his illness.”

From The New Yorker • May 20, 2019

You know too well, Sir, the character of the Barbary States, and their policy, to be ignorant of the inefficacy and dangers of such a measure.

From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. I by Sparks, Jared