1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
an ineffective effort to reduce unemployment that only spurred inflation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
an ineffective medication that will be denied FDA approval
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ineffective
While his attacking team-mates Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele were ineffective, Mbappe was a one-man whirlwind Argentina’s defence could not contain.
—
The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
The continent is home to a large share of the world’s leading firms, and any economic cutoff of China will be ineffective unless European countries participate.
—Stephen G. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2025
Trump’s blustering, threatening bullying is ineffective, costly and foolish.
—John A. Ragosta, Baltimore Sun, 20 Feb. 2025
His lawyers also argued that his longtime use of a medication to treat back pain could result in the pentobarbital used in lethal injections being ineffective or less effective.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
The continent is home to a large share of the world’s leading firms, and any economic cutoff of China will be ineffective unless European countries participate.
—Stephen G. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2025
Trump’s blustering, threatening bullying is ineffective, costly and foolish.
—John A. Ragosta, Baltimore Sun, 20 Feb. 2025
His lawyers also argued that his longtime use of a medication to treat back pain could result in the pentobarbital used in lethal injections being ineffective or less effective.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffective
Adjective
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Stephanie played her shot in the dark (a 1 in 6 chance at safety in exchange for a vote), but was unsuccessful and the 38-year-old tech product lead living in Brooklyn was the first person to be voted out of Season 48.—
Emily DeLetter,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
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The two had been hired to kill Pino’s estranged wife, according to the FBI, though their attempts up to that point had been unsuccessful.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For Alok Bansal, a newspaper columnist, the exercise is futile – and threatens to deepen divisions.—
Sushmita Pathak,
The Christian Science Monitor,
3 Mar. 2025
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Challenging the law again was futile until 2023 when progressives retook a 4–3 majority on the court.—
The Editors,
National Review,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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As teams scale, decision-making can become inefficient and accountability can blur.—
Patrick Donegan,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
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Two critical areas where Kansas struggles are 1) free-throw rate (its 23.9 FTR ranks No. 357 in the nation) and 2) low-volume and inefficient 3-point shooting.—
Tyler Everett,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Those assets are useless on a device like the Deck, and take up unnecessary space.—
Jason Evangelho,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
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In stereotypical rich-TV-family fashion, the ultimate symbol of Baba’s success is that both of his sons are sort of useless.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In fact, several examples indicate that using generative AI professionally may, in some cases, be counterproductive, or banned, in real work environments.—
Derek Newton,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Advocates, meanwhile, have assailed the measure as cruel and counterproductive.—
Ethan Varian,
The Mercury News,
13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ineffective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffective. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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