inefficiency
Americannoun
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inefficiencies
plural
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the quality or condition of being inefficient; lack of efficiency.
-
an instance of inefficiency.
This work is riddled with inefficiencies.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
The proposition states its purpose is to make sure that “programs are delivering results, and that taxpayer dollars are not being lost to inefficiency, waste or abuse.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Then there is the inefficiency of running the meatpacking plants at much less than full capacity.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Board members can only be removed for cause, meaning malfeasance, inefficiency, or neglect in their duties.
From Slate ● Apr. 24, 2026
Over time, some organisms have evolved ways to overcome this inefficiency.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026
He was French-born, blind in one eye, and he detested inefficiency and failure.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
There are also 17 independent inspectors general, each with their own staff, finding inefficiencies in individual departments.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Long before Elon Musk decided he was the first person ever to look for inefficiencies in the U.S. government, an actual department, the Government Accountability Office, was already doing that.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
But recessions rid economies of the inefficiencies and excesses that stop them from achieving robust growth postrecovery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The thing is, Pratt made some strong points about the inefficiencies of L.A.’s political status quo and the outrage that is having tens of thousands of people live on our streets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Hubler and his traders thought they were smart guys put on earth to exploit the market’s stupid inefficiencies.
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.
