inefficiency
Americannoun
-
the quality or condition of being inefficient; lack of efficiency.
-
an instance of inefficiency.
This work is riddled with inefficiencies.
Etymology
Origin of inefficiency
First recorded in 1740–50; ineffici(ent) + -ency
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.
Board members can only be removed for cause, meaning malfeasance, inefficiency, or neglect in their duties.
From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026
Scheutz compared this inefficiency to everyday AI tools.
From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026
But for financial institutions and investors, the cumulative effect is a more complex operating environment marked by higher counterparty risk, regulatory divergence, and capital inefficiency.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
“Every additional body that you throw at a problem adds more process, more bureaucracy, more politics, more inefficiency, more coordination.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
Cornwall Capital, they decided, would not merely search for market inefficiency but search for it globally, in every market: stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
