Etymologically
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ineffective

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 26 October 2026 at 00:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˌɪnɪˈfektɪv/, /ˌɪnəˈfektɪv/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English in- + effective, with the prefix meaning "not".[2][3][4][5] Johnson (1755) compared French ineffectif.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not producing any effect, or the effect intended: 1651, in Noah Biggs's Matæotechnia Medicinæ Praxeωs.[2] Merriam-Webster dates this sense to 1649.[5][7]

Semantic evolution

Used of people from 1653, the adjective meant unable to accomplish anything, or unfit for work or service.[2] Johnson (1755) defined it as "that which can produce no effect", quoting Jeremy Taylor.[6] From 1858, in Hawthorne, it was also used of a work of art lacking in effect.[2][5] Since 1856 the word has been was a noun for a person unfit for work or service,[2] especially a soldier.[5] The noun ineffectiveness is recorded from 1744.[3]

Timeline

  • 1649 – not producing the intended effect, by Merriam-Webster's dating.[5]
  • 1651 – first record in the OED.[2]
  • 1653 – of a person, unable to accomplish anything; unfit for service.[2]
  • 1744 – the noun ineffectiveness.[3]
  • 1856 – noun, a person unfit for work or service.[2]
  • 1858 – lacking artistic effect.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not producing the intended result; ineffectual: The new medicine proved ineffective against the infection.[8][9][5]
  2. Not able to do a job well; incompetent: an ineffective manager.[8][9][5]
  3. Lacking in artistic effect.[5][2]

Noun

  1. A person or thing that is ineffective, especially someone unfit for service, as in an army.[5][2]

Word family

  • ineffectively
  • ineffectiveness
  • effect
  • effectual
  • ineffectual
  • inefficient

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  9. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins