ineffective
/ɪnɪˈfɛktɪv
/adjective
Not producing any significant or desired effect: the legal sanctions against oil spills are virtually ineffective a weak and ineffective president...
- Universities, the most ineffective professional lobby in Britain, simply took this on the chin.
- To be sure, this mission has been woefully ineffective from the start.
- As a sales patter, it was hopelessly ineffective, probably scaring off any potential purchasers.
Synonyms
unsuccessful, non-successful, unproductive, fruitless, profitless, unprofitable, abortive, failed, futile, purposeless, worthless, useless, ineffectual, inefficient, inefficacious, inadequate, vain, unavailing, to no effect;
idle, feeble, weak, inept, lame
archaic bootless
rare unfructuous, inutile
ineffectual, inefficient, inefficacious, unsuccessful, powerless, impotent, inadequate, incompetent, incapable, unfit, inept, lame, feeble, weak, poor
informal useless, hopeless
Derivatives
ineffectively
/ adverb ...- He said: ‘Decommissioning is a vital tool, but the Government has used it ineffectively.’
- But while the root of the problem is being tackled so ineffectively, can we not balance the argument so that on the way, we all don't get carried away?
- Still, it'll give them what they love doing most - moaning on in the background ineffectively.