inefficient

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌɪnɪˈfɪʃənt/ UK /ˌɪnɪˈfɪʃənt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
not achieving maximum productivity; wasteful of time or resources

The old boiler was so inefficient that half the heat escaped.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not achieving maximum... wasteful ineffective unproductive incompetent disorganized uneconomical

Opposites

efficient productive effective economical

Word family

Derived forms inefficientlyinefficiency

Related forms efficient efficiency effect efficacious

Etymology

From in- ('not') + efficient, from Latin efficiens ('effecting'), present participle of efficere ('to accomplish'), from ex- ('out') + facere ('to do, make').

efficiens Latin facere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# inefficient

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌɪnɪˈfɪʃənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌɪnɪˈfɪʃənt/

## Meanings
1. not achieving maximum productivity; wasteful of time or resources

## Examples
- The old boiler was so inefficient that half the heat escaped.

## Synonyms
- wasteful
- ineffective
- unproductive
- incompetent
- disorganized
- uneconomical

## Antonyms
- efficient
- productive
- effective
- economical

## Derived Forms
- inefficiently
- inefficiency

## Related Forms
- efficient
- efficiency
- effect
- efficacious

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: efficiens
- Root: facere

## Etymology
From in- ('not') + efficient, from Latin efficiens ('effecting'), present participle of efficere ('to accomplish'), from ex- ('out') + facere ('to do, make').

## AI Etymology
inefficient comes from in- ('not') + efficient, from Latin efficiens ('effecting'), present participle of efficere ('to accomplish'), from ex- ('out') + facere ('to do, make'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the adjective sense is "not achieving maximum productivity; wasteful of time or resources", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as efficient, efficiency, effect, and efficacious, and in derivatives such as inefficiently and inefficiency. Its semantic neighborhood includes wasteful, ineffective, unproductive, and incompetent, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin efficiens and Latin facere.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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