inefficient
Frequently Asked Questions
- Machines, such as a gas-guzzling car or an old washing machine that uses up a lot of energy. Rube Goldberg machines are intentionally inefficient and overly complicated.
- People, such as a worker who completes tasks in roundabout ways or a runner who exerts unnecessary energy during each stride.
- Processes, such as a project that uses more of the budget than it needs to or involves more employees than is necessary.
- Institutions and organizations. People often accuse the government of being inefficient. An inefficient business is one that uses more resources than are necessary to operate.
- Without my monitor and mouse, I can still get work done, but I’m really inefficient—it takes me an hour to do what usually takes 10 minutes!
- Some people say that the government is too inefficient and should be run like a business.
- My car is so inefficient—it only gets 8 miles to the gallon.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In each start, Skubal has been inefficient, he’s been searching for his command.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Fewer than four decades ago Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania regained their independence but inherited inefficient factories from the Soviet Union's command economy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
“Baby steps,” he said, avoid risk but won’t fix inefficient workflows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
But it was built on an increasingly inefficient and debt-ridden economy, which meant that the rapid process of privatisation, when it came, was brutal and led to mass unemployment.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Their timing was all off, their pulls weak and inefficient.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Vocabulary lists containing inefficient
"Sorry, Wrong Number," Vocabulary from the play
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: in-, im-, il-, ir-
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Lawn Boy
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