inefficient
Americanadjective
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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.
The company says the tools are “designed to reduce the billions of dollars lost annually to inefficient, outdated dispute processes.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
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 • Mar. 24, 2026
Notice where things feel awkward, inefficient, or slightly annoying.
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026
It was his most inefficient shooting performance with more than 11 shots of his career.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
“So inefficient, so wasteful of effort, and so utterly exhausting” was the old plow, Temple wrote, “that this deficiency of plowing may rank as mankind’s single greatest waste of time and energy.”
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
