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 reducing tax bills, charitable deductions can be useful but inefficient.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 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
An inefficient youth pipeline, competition from other sports and an inability to develop a superstar are some of the reasons why the U.S. keeps losing in the World Cup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
While Brown’s résumé is unimpeachable, the advanced statistics that every team scours actually show him as an inefficient scorer whose teams are sometimes better with him off the floor than on it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
The problem was glaring, expensive, inefficient, and stressful for everyone involved.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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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