as in inability
the lack of ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy
The candidate blamed her opponent for the local government's inefficiency.
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Recent Examples of inefficiency
If this is the true face of the AI industry—a technological triumphalism that sees human thought as an inefficiency to overcome and human distinctiveness as a myth to debunk—the differences between the Church and Silicon Valley may prove irreconcilable.
—
Elias Wachtel, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026
Education veterans told me that the department certainly has bloat and inefficiencies.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
City operations should address inefficiencies and overspending, while strengthening management expertise to improve core services and implement effective changes.
—Henry Foster Iii, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
The platform’s new AI agent, René, allows dispatchers and fleet managers to investigate operational inefficiencies through simple conversational queries, identifying the root causes of issues like excessive overtime or route deviations.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inefficiency
Elias Wachtel, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026
Education veterans told me that the department certainly has bloat and inefficiencies.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
City operations should address inefficiencies and overspending, while strengthening management expertise to improve core services and implement effective changes.
—Henry Foster Iii, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
The platform’s new AI agent, René, allows dispatchers and fleet managers to investigate operational inefficiencies through simple conversational queries, identifying the root causes of issues like excessive overtime or route deviations.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inefficiency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inefficiency
Noun
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Even when Florida’s lead was insurmountable, Golden was conscious of when to play Rioux because of his inability to keep up with the pace of the game and maintain endurance.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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The questions go to the heart of the frustration expressed by business leaders such as Sim Tshabalala, Standard Bank’s boss, who warned just this month at Semafor World Economy that South Africa’s anemic economic growth was down to the state’s basic inability to uphold the rule of law.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Sensing hesitance as well as incompetence, coaches and players alike tried to sway the flailing fill-ins at every turn.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Instead, the Wolves allowed a period of incompetence to define the affair, a trait that defined numerous games throughout the regular season.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The longer the delay, the more the system risks turning temporary incompetency into long-term confinement.—
Stephen Martin,
Oklahoma Watch,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The reproduction of systemic racism occurs not simply through white denial but also through the promotion of cultural incompetency.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Delaying this only demonstrates the organization’s ineffectiveness in today’s NBA.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
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Those numbers make Kaprizov’s ineffectiveness even more sobering as the Wild search for answers against the Stars.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inefficiency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inefficiency. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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