ineffective
Americanadjective
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not effective; not producing results; ineffectual.
ineffective efforts; ineffective remedies.
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inefficient or incompetent; incapable.
an ineffective manager.
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lacking in artistic effect, as a literary work, theatrical production, or painting.
adjective
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having no effect
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incompetent or inefficient
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ineffective
Explanation
Use the adjective ineffective to describe something that doesn't work quite the way it's supposed to. You might complain about your ineffective guard dog, who wags his tail and licks everyone who comes to your house. When you're ineffective, you're unable to accomplish something you're trying to do. You might realize that you're an ineffective babysitter when you can't get the kids to go to bed. Ineffective comes from the Latin prefix in, "not, or opposite of," added to effective, whose Latin root is effectivus, "productive." When something's unproductive, inefficient, or incapable, it's ineffective.
Vocabulary lists containing ineffective
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: in-, im-, il-, ir-
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in-
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Novel Study: Hatchet
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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.
Some in Kyiv -- a city of three million people -- consider the security protocols ineffective, with experts suggesting a more flexible approach.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
A former engineer at the company, Béjar has claimed for years that Meta’s child-safety tools were ineffective and that top executives knew its products were harming children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
In fact, what the race revealed were the weaknesses and limitations of an ineffective candidate who would have almost certainly flamed out in the general election.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
The breakwater that separates Ceuta from Morocco, long regarded as ineffective, was left just as it was.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
I feel her wave of worry like a patio heater—faint and ineffective, but constant.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
