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.
"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
While this method produces very durable final products, it uses significant quantities of expensive raw materials and generates inefficient yields.
From Science Daily
It was his most inefficient shooting performance with more than 11 shots of his career.
From Los Angeles Times
“And yes, we want to squeeze out every last bit of opportunity there. I think there’s no debate that the system now is inefficient.”
Coal plants, which can’t easily shut down and restart, either operate at a loss during those hours or ramp down to levels that are inefficient and cause mechanical wear and tear, Dorris said.
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.
