efficiency

US /ɪˈfɪʃ.ən.si/ See IPA manual

Freq #10945

Meanings

1

noun
The quality of doing something well without wasting time, effort, or money.

They did the work with great efficiency.
2

noun
The ratio of useful output to the energy or resources used.

The new engine improves fuel efficiency by twenty percent.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms efficienciesinefficiency

Derived forms coefficiencyecoefficiencyequiefficiencyhigh-efficiencylow-efficiencynonefficiencyphotoefficiencysuperefficiency

Related forms effect effective effectiveness effectivity effector effectual effectuate efficacious efficacity efficacy efficient efficiently

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Etymology

From Latin efficientia, equivalent to efficient + -cy.

Topics

Economics & Markets Abstract Ideas

External links

# efficiency

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈfɪʃ.ən.si/
**Frequency rank:** 10945

## Meanings
1. The quality of doing something well without wasting time, effort, or money.
2. The ratio of useful output to the energy or resources used.

## Examples
- They did the work with great efficiency.
- The new engine improves fuel efficiency by twenty percent.

## Derived Forms
- coefficiency
- ecoefficiency
- equiefficiency
- high-efficiency
- low-efficiency
- nonefficiency
- photoefficiency
- superefficiency

## Related Forms
- effect
- effective
- effectiveness
- effectivity
- effector
- effectual
- effectuate
- efficacious
- efficacity
- efficacy
- efficient
- efficiently

## Etymology
From Latin efficientia, equivalent to efficient + -cy.

## AI Etymology
Efficiency comes from Latin efficientia, equivalent to efficient + -cy. In current use, the main senses are “The quality of doing something well without wasting time, effort, or money” and “The ratio of useful output to the energy or resources used”.

## Topics
- Economics & Markets
- Abstract Ideas

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