inefficient
Americanadjective
-
not efficient; unable to effect or achieve the desired result with reasonable economy of means.
-
lacking in ability, incompetent.
adjective
-
unable to perform a task or function to the best advantage; wasteful or incompetent
-
unable to produce the desired result
Related Words
See incapable.
Other Word Forms
- inefficiency noun
- inefficiently adverb
Etymology
Origin of inefficient
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.
While carbon capture has been around for many years, it has not been widely adopted because most systems are costly and inefficient.
From Science Daily
With so little material available, light has limited interaction, which often results in weak emission and inefficient frequency conversion unless the surrounding photonic environment is carefully designed.
From Science Daily
Instead banks are lending to inefficient state-owned enterprises and investment pools linked to local governments.
Notice where things feel awkward, inefficient, or slightly annoying.
From Salon
"This is a new way to make a fundamental carbon-carbon bond and that's why the potential impact is so great. It also means chemists can avoid an undesirable and inefficient drug modification process."
From Science Daily
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.
