Ineffective

//ˌɪn.ɪˈfɛk.tɪv// adj

adj ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Not having the desired effect; ineffectual; otiose.
  2. 2
    Lacking in ability; incompetent or inadequate.

    "Fire ants circumvented the problem of an ineffective sting by having an unusual and highly effective venom that when daubed or sprayed on other ants penetrates their waxy protective integumental barrier and kills or disables them."

Adjective
  1. 1
    lacking the ability or skill to perform effectively; inadequate wordnet
  2. 2
    not producing an intended effect wordnet
  3. 3
    lacking in power or forcefulness wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
ineffectualimpotentincompetentabortiveaimlessbarren

Example

More examples

"The 5% topical solution was ineffective at reducing eczema outbreaks."

Etymology

From in- + effective.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.