ineffectual

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.

But its ineffectual japing, and Michaels’ inability to help himself when it comes to normalizing repugnant behavior in the name of chasing the zeitgeist, makes it a popular stop on the image rehab express.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

He said the claimants' complaints about the "harmful effects" were "shunned and ignored" before the nurses were "penalised and buried" in an "oppressive and ineffectual investigation process" carried out by the trust.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

For most of this century, the U.S. has been an ineffectual force in Latin America.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

It’s also odd that the activist-minded Greengrass didn’t do more with so corporate a villain: legally responsible utility PG&E, represented in the movie by an ineffectual suit who is briefly yelled at.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2025

He watched the flying fish burst out again and again and the ineffectual movements of the bird.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway