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
The temperature has to be so low that atoms emit no infrared radiation, rendering traditional thermal imaging ineffective.
—
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
Laws and policies designed to deter crime by focusing mainly on increasing the severity of punishments are ineffective, according to the Department of Justice.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
The apparently ineffective bug zapper was placed right over cooking spices on storage shelves.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
But everything about this first half offensively — save for one TD pass to Sutton — has felt unorganized and ineffective and chaotic.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
Laws and policies designed to deter crime by focusing mainly on increasing the severity of punishments are ineffective, according to the Department of Justice.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
The apparently ineffective bug zapper was placed right over cooking spices on storage shelves.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
But everything about this first half offensively — save for one TD pass to Sutton — has felt unorganized and ineffective and chaotic.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffective
Adjective
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The new complaint was filed 20 years after Burrowes first claimed in an unsuccessful civil case that Combs may have put out a hit on Shakur and Knight.—
Gina Barton,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
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All have been unsuccessful due to his status as a suspect in multiple violent crimes.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And, perhaps most dangerous still, these dreams of modernity shine an unwanted light on the futile hardship of the family’s status quo.—
Adam Solomons,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
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This alternating strategy is futile.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Technology has removed many of the barriers that used to make solopreneurship inefficient.—
Matteo Pittaluga,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Chad Wackerman, a drummer and teacher, believes this change in technique —favoring the biceps over the wrist to create a louder sound — is to blame for an inefficient playing style.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Digital fingerprinting collates an array of data from your phone — your IP address, device model and OS, time zone, setup and anything else if can get — to create a unique identifier in aggregate, even if each individual data snippet us useless on its own.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Never mind that large language models have so far proven useless at 95% of the companies that have made their workforces try to use them, researchers from MIT recently found.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Despite the league's efforts to promote unity, NFL legend Brett Favre feels the messages are counterproductive.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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That’s really so counterproductive.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ineffective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffective. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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