Inefficient

Definitions: Inefficient

Inefficient

Adjective

1. Not producing desired results; wasteful; "an inefficient campaign against drugs"; "outdated and inefficient design and methods".

2. Lacking the ability or skill to perform effectively; inadequate; "an ineffective administration"; "inefficient workers".

Date "inefficient" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1781. (references)

Synonym: Inefficient

Synonym: ineffective (adj). (additional references)

Antonym: efficient (adj). (additional references)

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Failure	Abortive, addle, stillborn; fruitless, bootless; ineffectual, ineffective, inconsequential, trifling, nugatory; inefficient; (impotent); insufficient; unavailing; (useless); of no effect.
Impotence	Adjective: powerless, impotent, unable, incapable, incompetent; inefficient, ineffective; inept; unfit, unfitted; unqualified, disqualified; unendowed; inapt, unapt; crippled, disabled; Verb: armless.
Inutility	Adjective: useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootless; inoperative; inadequate; (insufficient); inservient, unsubservient; inept, inefficient; (impotent); of no avail; (use); ineffectual; (failure); incompetent; (unskillful); " stale, flat and unprofitable"; superfluous; (redundant); dispensable; thrown away; (wasted); abortive; (immature).
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Domain	Title
Books	Famine: A Man-Made Disaster?: How Mistaken Policy and Inefficient Management Have Brought Starvavion to Africa (reference) Reality of Use and Nature of Change in Small Business: A Case Study in Inefficient Compromise [DOWNLOAD: PDF] (reference) Teaching Inefficient Learners, (reference) The Inefficient Stock Market: What Pays Off and Why (2nd Edition) (reference) The Possibility of Inefficient Corporate Contracts/Abf Working Paper #9110 (reference) (more book examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	An "O" camp wanigan - observer's living space while at station Heating very inefficient - top bunks at 100 degrees Bottom bunk at 0 degrees.Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.		Brick Flat Pit. This pit was excavated to extract ore and was then used to dispose of sludge, an early and inefficient disposal method.Credit: NOAA Restoration Center.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Author	Quotation
Author Unknown.	Democracy is cumbersome, slow and inefficient, but in due time, the voice of the people will be heard and their latent wisdom will prevail.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		Ineffective or inefficient interventions should be discontinued if their impact is negative or neutral. (references)
		Deriving information concerning mechanisms of action or other potential uses of IVIG from clinical experiments and trials is costly and inefficient. (references)
		Each of these disorders involves a loss or decrease in neuromuscular function, inefficient breathing and limitation to the flow of air into the lungs. (references)
Business		Over half of China's state-owned enterprises are inefficient and reporting losses. (references)
		Energy is an expensive commodity and inefficient use of it wastes money and valuable resources. (references)
		Though this may be optimistic for power suppliers, inefficient use of energy resources is very wasteful. (references)
Children	Pakistan	Development experts point to a number of factors for the poor state of public education, including the low percentage of gross national product devoted to education and inefficient and corrupt federal and provincial bureaucracies. (references)
Civil Liberties	Venezuela	However, some groups have complained that the process of registration is slow and inefficient. (references)
	Vietnam	Citizens could and did complain openly about inefficient government, administrative procedures, corruption, and economic policy. (references)
Economic History	Vietnam	Much of this labor, though, is inefficient and surplus. (references)
	Nepal	An overworked and inefficient banking system is to blame. (references)
	Bahrain	The bureaucracy is sometimes inefficient but it is honest. (references)
Human Rights	Peru	It is also subject to corruption and is notably inefficient. (references)
	Paraguay	The judicial system remains relatively inefficient and has insufficient resources. (references)
	Romania	Due to a lack of a plea bargaining, the judicial system tends to be inefficient and slow. (references)
Indigenous People	Bolivia	Lack of education, inefficient farming and mining methods, indigenous cultural practices, and societal biases keep the indigenous people poor. (references)
Political Economy	HAITI	Haiti's tax collection system is inefficient. (references)
	Ecuador	The legal and judicial systems are politicized, inefficient, and sometimes corrupt. (references)
Trade	Taiwan	Recent efforts to enforce compliance of some imported products with Taiwan standards have resulted in long delays at customs for some U.S. products entering the market, as testing facilities are inadequate and testing procedures slow and inefficient. (references)
Worker Rights	Haiti	These courts adjudicate and settle minor conflicts, but unions state that the process is inefficient. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Speaker	Term	Phrase(s)
Benjamin Harrison	1889-1893	The spirit, courage, and skill of our naval officers and seamen have many times in our history given to weak ships and inefficient guns a rating greatly beyond that of the naval list.
Jimmy Carter	1977-1981	Proposals like legislative veto and increased judicial review will add another layer to the regulatory process, making it more cumbersome and inefficient.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

"Inefficient" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 99.49% of the time. "Inefficient" is used about 582 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Adjective (general or positive)	99.49%	579	10,925
Noun (proper)	0.34%	2	245,945
Unclassified Items	0.17%	1	339,140
Total	100.00%	582	N/A

Expression using "inefficient": inefficient statistic. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "inefficient": inefficient-sounding.
	Ending with "inefficient": energy-inefficient.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Language		Translations for "inefficient"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Albanian		i paefektshëm (effectless, feckless, ineffective, inefficacious, inoperative), i paaftë (bumbling, disabled, guiltless, helpless, impaired, impotent, inapt, incapable, incompetent, inept, muff, spado, unable, unskilful, weak). (various references)

Arabic		‏غير فعال (feckless, feeble, inactive, ineffectual, inert, inoperative, passive), ‏غير كفؤ (incompetence, incompetent, ineffective, inept, misfit, unfit), ‏غير ناجع, ‏عاجز عن الإحداث. (various references)

Bulgarian		неспособен (disabled, inapt, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, inept, unapt, unfit), некомпетентен (incompetent, ineffective, unqualified, unversed), некадърен (dismal, dud, feckless, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, shiftless, wet, worthless), неефикасен (ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, inoperative, no good, unavailing), неизправен, безрезултатен (ineffective, ineffectual, sterile, unproductive, useless, void). (various references)

Chinese		瘝 (incapacitated), � �"果, 否有效 . (various references)

Czech		neschopný (bungling, disabled, inadequate, inapt, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, powerless, shiftless, unable, unfit, unworthy, useless), neefektivní. (various references)

Danish		inefficient stikprøvefunktion (inefficient statistic), bevarelse af ineffektive industrier (maintenance of inefficient industries). (various references)

Dutch		instandhouding van inefficiënte bedrijven (maintenance of inefficient industries), inefficiënte statistische grootheid (inefficient statistic), niet-doeltreffende statistische grootheid (inefficient statistic). (various references)

Farsi		بی کفایت (Incompetent). (various references)

Finnish		saamaton (incapable, unenterprising). (various references)

French		inefficace (ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious). (various references)

German		unrationell. (various references)

Greek		όχι αποδοτικόσ (nonprodactive), μη αποτελεσματικόσ (ineffective), ανεπαρκήσ (inadequate, insufficient, scant, scanty, scrimp, scrimpy), ανίκανοσ (duffer, helpless, impotent, incapable, incompetent, shiftless, unable, unfit). (various references)

Hebrew		לא יעיל (bootless, ineffective, ineffectual, inept, shiftless). (various references)

Hungarian		hatástalan (effectless, futile, inconclusive, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, inoperative, non-effective, nugatory, of no effect, weak), eredménytelen (barren, futile, ineffectual, of no avail, pointless). (various references)

Indonesian		tidak efisien. (various references)

Italian		inefficiente (feckless, ineffective, shiftless), incapace (disabled, dud, inapt, incapable, incapable person, incompetent, ineffective, maladjusted, shiftless, unable, unfit, useless). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		もし可能ならば (all the way, awfully, bashfully, be restless, completely, desperately, dishevelled, erection, farther, feel fuzzy, feel impatient, feel sad, fidget, flying squirrel, frightfully, gusto, hazy, hesitantly, if possible, impatient, irritating, is something that, is that which, Japanese mafia, longer, misty, more, mumble, not quick enough, shaggy, slow, someone full of zest, swelling, tantalizing, tardy, the "tent" an erection makes against pants or bedsheets, to do something the speaker regrets, to squirm, tousled, unkempt, violently, women's work pants, worry about, Yakuza). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		もたもた (slow). (various references)

Korean		효과 없�" (ineffective). (various references)

Manx		neufondagh (incapable, ineffective, ineffectual, infirm, insolvent, insubstantial, insufficient, unbusinesslike). (various references)

Norwegian		udugelig (inept). (various references)

Pig Latin		inefficientay

Portuguese		ineficiente (ineffective, inopportune, weak), incapaz (disabled, efficacious, forceless, impotent, impoverished, inapt, incapable, incomplete, ineffective, inept, insusceptible, powers, unable, unapt, unfit, unsusceptible), incapacidade (disability, disablement, disqualified, failure, handicap, impotence, impotency, inaccessibility, inarm, incapability, incapacity, incompetence, palsy). (various references)

Romanian		ineficace (ineffective, inefficacious, otiose), incapabil (effete, feckless, impotent, incapable, ineffective, ineffectual, insufficient, shiftless, unable, unapt, unequal, unfit), nepriceput (blockhead, illiterate, incapable, inexperienced, inexpert, novice, silly, slouch, unskilful, unskilled), lipsit de ranfament. (various references)

Russian		неспособный (incapable, incompetent, unable, unapt), безрезультатный (effectless, ineffective, ineffectual, negative). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		neuspeo (aborted), neefikasan (ineffective, non-effective). (various references)

Spanish		ineficiente, incapaz (helpless, incapable, lame, lame brain, unable, unfit), que no puede (incapable). (various references)

Swedish		inkompetent (incapable, incompetent, ineffective, inept, unqualified), ineffektiv (ineffective, inoperative, non-effective, weak), oduglig (disabled, dud, good for nothing, inapt, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, unfit, unqualified, unsuitable, useless). (various references)

Thai		ซึ่งไร้ประสิทธิ� าพ (feckless). (various references)

Turkish		yetersiz (defective, deficient, disqualified, exiguous, half-way, handicapped, inadequate, incapable, incommensurate, incompetent, inconclusive, ineligible, insufficient, meager, meagre, poorly, powerless, scant, scanty, scrimp, scrimpy, shoestring, short, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, unequal, unfit, unqualified, unsatisfactory, unsatisfied, unsatisfying), verimsiz (abortive, barren, emaciated, fruitless, idle, ineffectual, inefficacious, infertile, jejune, lean, poor, sterile, thin, unfruitful, unproductive, unprofitable, unthrifty), tesirsiz, savurgan (consumptive, extravagant, lavish, prodigal, profuse, thriftless, uneconomic, uneconomical, unthrifty, wasteful), müsrif (consumptive, extravagant, improvident, lavish, prodigal, profligate, profuse, spender, spendthrift, squander, squanderer, thriftless, unthrifty, wasteful), etkisiz (impotent, inactive, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, inoperative, nerveless, noneffective, non-effective, spent), ehliyetsiz (disabled, incapable, insufficient, unqualified). (various references)

Turkmen		яetiюiksiz (unsuccessful). (various references)

Ukranian		нездатний (incapable, unable, unfit), неефективний, малоквалікований. (various references)

Vietnamese		thiếu khả năng (incompetent, unfit), không có khả năng (unable), bất t� i không có hiệu quả. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "inefficient": inefficiently, inefficients. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Inefficient" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: ineffecient, inefficent, innefficient. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "inefficient" (pronounced i'nufi"shunt)
8	-n u f i" sh u n t	beneficent.
7	-u f i" sh u n t	coefficient, deficient, efficient, insufficient, sufficient.
6	-f i" sh u n t	proficient.
5	-i" sh u n t	omniscient.
4	-sh u n t	abortifacient, impatient, inpatient, outpatient, patient, quotient.
3	-u n t	abandonment, abatement, aberrant, abhorrent, absent, absorbent, abstinent, abundant, accelerant, accident, accompaniment, accomplishment, accountant, accouterment, achievement, acknowledgement, acknowledgment, adamant, adherent, adjacent, adjournment, adjustment, adjutant, adolescent, adornment, advancement, advertisement, advisement, afferent, affiant, affluent, agent, aggrandizement, agreement, ailment, alignment, allotment, amazement, ambient, ambivalent, amendment, amusement, ancient, announcement, annulment, antecedent, antidepressant, antigovernment, antioxidant, apartment, apparent, appeasement, applicant, appointment, apportionment, ardent, argent, argument, armament, arraignment, arrangement, arrant, arrogant, ascendant, aspirant, assailant, assessment, assignment, assistant, assortment, astonishment, astringent, atonement, attachment, attainment, attendant, banishment, basement, battlement, belligerent, bemusement, benevolent, bereavement, betterment, bewilderment, blandishment, blatant, bombardment, brilliant, buoyant, celebrant, claimant, clairvoyant, Clement, client, cogent, cognizant, coherent, coincident, combatant, commandment, commencement, commitment, compartment, competent, complacent, complainant, complaisant, complement, compliant, component, comportment, concealment, concomitant, concurrent, condiment, confident, confinement, confluent, consequent, consignment, consistent, consonant, constant, constituent, consultant, containment, contaminant, contentment, contestant, continent, contingent, convalescent, convenient, convent, convergent, conversant, coolant, copayment, corespondent, cormorant, correspondent, Courant, covenant, Crescent, crosscurrent, current, curtailment, debarment, debasement, decadent, decedent, decent, declarant, decongestant, defendant, deferment, defiant, defoliant, delinquent, deodorant, department, dependent, deployment, deportment, depressant, derailment, descendant, descendent, despondent, detachment, detergent, determent, determinant, deterrent, detriment, development, deviant, different, diligent, diminishment, disagreement, disappointment, disarmament, disbarment, disbursement, discernment, discordant, discouragement, disenchantment, disenfranchisement, disengagement, disestablishment, disgruntlement, disillusionment, disinfectant, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, disobedient, dispersant, displacement, dissident, dissonant, distant, divalent, divergent, divestment, docent, dominant, dormant, easement, ebullient, efferent, effervescent, effluent, elegant, element, elephant, eloquent, embankment, embarrassment, embayment, embellishment, embezzlement, embodiment, emergent, emigrant, eminent, emplacement, employment, empowerment, enactment, encampment, enchantment, encirclement, encouragement, encroachment, endangerment, endearment, endorsement, endowment, enforcement, engagement, enhancement, enjoyment, enlargement, enlightenment, enlistment, enrichment, enrollment, enslavement, entanglement, entertainment, enticement, entitlement, entombment, entrant, entrapment, entrenchment, environment, equipment, equivalent, errant, escapement, escarpment, esculent, establishment, estrangement, evanescent, evident, excellent, excitement, excrement, exigent, existent, exorbitant, expectant, expectorant, expedient, experiment, exponent, extant, extinguishment, extravagant, exuberant, exultant, Fabricant, fervent, figment, filament, flagrant, flamboyant, flatulent, flippant, fluent, fluorescent, formant, fragment, fragrant, fraudulent, frequent, fulfillment, gallant, garment, garnishment, giant, government, grandiloquent, grandparent, harassment, hesitant, hydrant, ignorant, immanent, immigrant, imminent, impairment, impeachment, impediment, impertinent, implement, important, impotent, impoundment, impoverishment, impressment, imprisonment, improvement, imprudent, inadvertent, incandescent, incessant, incident, incipient, incitement, inclement, incoherent, incompetent, inconsistent, incontinent, inconvenient, increment, incumbent, indecent, independent, indictment, indifferent, indigent, indignant, indolent, inducement, indulgent, infant, informant, infotainment, infrequent, infringement, ingredient, inhabitant, inhalant, inherent, innocent, insignificant, insistent, insolent, insolvent, installment, instant, instrument, insurgent, integument, intelligent, intercurrent, interdependent, intermittent, internment, intersegment, intolerant, intransigent, invariant, investment, involvement, iridescent, irrelevant, irreverent, irritant, itinerant, jubilant, judgement, judgment, latent, leant, lenient, lieutenant, ligament, litigant, lubricant, lucent, luminescent, luxuriant, magnificent, malevolent, malignant, maltreatment, management, measurement, merchant, micromanagement, migrant, militant, miscreant, misgovernment, misjudgment, mismanagement, misstatement, mistreatment, moment, monovalent, monument, mordant, movement, mutant, nascent, negligent, noncombatant, nonexistent, nongovernment, nonmanagement, nonpayment, nonresident, nonviolent, nourishment, nutrient, obedient, observant, obsolescent, occupant, odorant, ointment, omnipotent, omnipresent, operant, opponent, opulent, ornament, orpiment, outplacement, overconfident, overpayment, overstatement, oxidant, pageant, parchment, parent, parliament, participant, patent, pavement, payment, peasant, penchant, pendant, penitent, pennant, percipient, permanent, persistent, pertinent, petulant, pheasant, pigment, piquant, placement, pleasant, pliant, poignant, pollutant, postponement, postretirement, potent, preadolescent, precedent, predicament, predominant, preeminent, pregnant, prejudgment, prepayment, prescient, present, presentment, prevalent, procurement, prominent, pronouncement, propellant, proponent, protestant, provident, prudent, prurient, pungent, punishment, pursuant, puzzlement, quadrant, quiescent, radiant, rampant, readjustment, reagent, realignment, reappointment, reapportionment, rearmament, rearrangement, reassessment, reassignment, recalcitrant, recent, recipient, recombinant, recruitment, recurrent, redeployment, redevelopment, redundant, reemployment, reenactment, refinement, refreshment, refrigerant, refurbishment, Regent, regiment, registrant, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, reinvestment, relevant, reliant, reluctant, reminiscent, remnant, repayment, repellent, repentant, replacement, replenishment, repugnant, requirement, resentment, resettlement, resident, resilient, resistant, resonant, resplendent, respondent, restatement, resultant, resurgent, retardant, reticent, retirement, retrenchment, reverent, rodent, rudiment, ruminant, sacrament, salient, seafront, sealant, sediment, segment, semipermanent, sentiment, Sequent, sergeant, serpent, servant, settlement, shipment, significant, silent, solvent, somnolent, stagnant, statement, stimulant, strident, stringent, student, subcontinent, subsequent, subservient, succulent, supergiant, superintendent, supplement, supplicant, suppressant, surfactant, talent, tangent, temperament, tenant, tenement, testament, tetravalent, tolerant, torrent, tournament, transcendent, transient, translucent, transparent, treatment, trenchant, trident, triumphant, truant, truculent, tumescent, turbulent, tyrant, undercurrent, underdevelopment, underemployment, undergarment, underpayment, understatement, unemployment, unimportant, unpleasant, unrepentant, urgent, vacant, vagrant, valiant, variant, vehement, verdant, vibrant, vigilant, violent, virulent, warrant, wonderment.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "c-e-e-f-f-i-i-i-n-n-t"
	-2 letters: efficient.
	-3 letters: infinite.
	-4 letters: fifteen.
	-5 letters: effect, entice, fennec, finite, incite, infect, intine, tiffin.
	Words containing the letters "c-e-e-f-f-i-i-i-n-n-t"
	+1 letter: inefficients.
	+2 letters: inefficiently.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.