effectively

American  

[ih-fek-tiv-lee, ee-fek‐] / ɪˈfɛk tɪv li, iˈfɛk‐ /

adverb

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. in a way that produces a vivid impression; strikingly.

   The visually rich photographs are effectively displayed against the stark white gallery walls.

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Other Word Forms

• preeffectively adverb
• quasi-effectively adverb
• subeffectively adverb
• supereffectively adverb
• uneffectively adverb

Etymology

Origin of effectively

effective ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Example Sentences

That made it 92-85 and effectively doused the Lakers’ comeback.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

He was surprised when the host committee for that event effectively paid the full bill, in large part with $22 million in state funds.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2026

Some White House officials also worried that Anthropic wouldn’t have access to enough computing power to serve that many more entities without hampering the government’s ability to use it effectively, one of the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

The Strait of Hormuz - a vital artery through which about a fifth of the world's supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas usually travels - has been effectively closed for eight weeks.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Most people can neither intimately know, nor gossip effectively about, more than 150 human beings.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• adequately
• completely
• definitely
• dramatically
• energetically
• finally
• forcefully
• productively