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
Explanation
Inefficient things waste time, money, or other resources. Your old inefficient dishwasher uses much more water and electricity than a new model would. Shame on you. Inefficient businesses have trouble making money and growing, and an inefficient city bus system might transport just a few passengers at a time. If your car is inefficient, it gets terrible gas mileage and is expensive to drive. If something is efficient, it's productive and inexpensive. Inefficient has the opposite meaning, which is clear from the "not" prefix in-.
Vocabulary lists containing inefficient
"Sorry, Wrong Number," Vocabulary from the play
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: in-, im-, il-, ir-
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lawn Boy
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"Building GP surgeries that sit unoccupied simply to satisfy a Whitehall demand would be an inefficient and ineffective use of the contributions that development can bring to communities," a spokesperson said.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
This complex acts to selectively suppress mRNAs that contain non-optimal codons, effectively reducing the production of inefficient genetic messages.
From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026
I disagree — it seems inefficient to pay tax on distributions we ultimately plan to give to charity when QCDs allow the full amount to go tax-free.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
Instead banks are lending to inefficient state-owned enterprises and investment pools linked to local governments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Although swidden does permit the forest to regrow, it is wildly inefficient and environmentally unsound.
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.
