1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
his efforts to restore the neglected houseplant back to health were belated and sadly inefficacious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
an inefficacious medication for a rare form of tuberculosis
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inefficacious
Most wore inefficacious cloth masks, too.
—
James Lileks, National Review, 25 Aug. 2022
Day — who grew up watching the spelling bee — came up with the concept of exploring the psyche of a winner with an ultimately inefficacious career in 2015 while at a UCB improv sketch-writing class.
—NBC News, 6 Oct. 2020
James Lileks, National Review, 25 Aug. 2022
Day — who grew up watching the spelling bee — came up with the concept of exploring the psyche of a winner with an ultimately inefficacious career in 2015 while at a UCB improv sketch-writing class.
—NBC News, 6 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficacious
Adjective
-
While Hadden-Paton was unsuccessful in keeping his dapper suit, his costar, Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, confessed to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan on Live!—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reached out for comment but was unsuccessful.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In other words, resistance is futile.—
Mia Sosa,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
-
If anything, Shock and Awe mostly reminds you how futile living in the madness of a Fake News world can be.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Automating a Broken Process A common pitfall for tax teams is dropping AI into processes that are already complex or inefficient.—
Aleksandra Bal,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Lal said past leaders may have been onto something, but the all-at once change strategy was inefficient.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the great things about having no ‘position’ anymore is the realization that a platform is actually useless without courage.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
In this context, F-16s can seem useless.—
Rick Bennett,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In turn, the Koch brothers supported climate denial think tanks, while Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch’s Fox News nightly broadcasts worked overtime to convince Americans that both climate change and COVID-19 were hoaxes or that vaccines were ineffective or unsafe.—
Michael E. Mann,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
-
According to a report sponsored by AWS, this restrictive approach proved both ineffective and counterproductive.—
Melody Brue,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Today’s resolution is yet another counterproductive gesture that only rewards Hamas, drags out the war and undercuts the very diplomatic efforts to free the hostages and end the suffering in Gaza.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Just cutting the reeds is counterproductive.—
Steven Franck,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inefficacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficacious. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share