Words / B2

in-i-FEKT-iv/ˌɪnɪˈfektɪv/

Ineffective means not producing the result you want: ineffective notice; an ineffective treatment. Useless is blunter; inefficient means wasting effort even if something partly works. A last-minute email was ineffective as notice. Effective is the opposite (already in the dictionary). Do not mix with inefficient.

Meaning

Not producing the result you want.

Examples

• “A last-minute email was ineffective as notice of the venue change.”
• “The drug proved ineffective in the trial, which is the medical sense.”

Good to know

ineffective as / in; an ineffective policy. Opposite: effective. Trap: inefficient (waste). Evaluations, medicine, and management.

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