effectively
Americanadverb
-
in a way that accomplishes a purpose or produces the intended or expected results.
These scissors are no longer sharp and do not cut effectively.
You may not like all your coworkers, but you still have to learn to work effectively with them.
-
in actuality; in practice.
Allowing the legislature to take existing money for schools and use it for other purposes effectively means there will be no new money for education.
-
in a way that produces a vivid impression; strikingly.
The visually rich photographs are effectively displayed against the stark white gallery walls.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of effectively
Explanation
Effectively is an adverb with two meanings; use it if you want to describe something that's done in an effective manner or as a replacement for words like "actually" or "basically." If wearing special gloves helps you catch a football more effectively, then it helps you get the job done better and more efficiently. People usually want to do their jobs more effectively. But this word can also mean actually or basically. If your grandparents are raising you, they are effectively your parents, and you are effectively their children. Whether they're raising you effectively in the first sense is another matter.
Vocabulary lists containing effectively
Inside: Academic Vocabulary
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4.3: Origins and Impact of the Western European Empires in the North Atlantic (Sources 1–9)
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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 central bank said it’s “well-positioned to respond effectively to any risk to medium-term price stability.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The researchers believe this unexpected mechanism could guide the development of catalysts that interact more effectively with molecular hydrogen, potentially improving the chemical pathways responsible for producing methanol from CO2.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
The central bank is “well-positioned to respond effectively to any risk to medium-term price stability and will continue to closely monitor economic developments,” it said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Ice baths help ease inflammation, which research suggests can reduce muscle soreness and help athletes recover muscle function more effectively in a 24-hour period.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
The “departure” that Blatch, other suffragist leaders, and particularly Alice Paul came up with was picketing, a tactic that Blatch and Paul had seen used effectively when they had aided British suffragists.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
