adj
Meaning 1
Lacking purpose.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
feckless
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɛkləs/
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɛklɪs/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛkləs
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rhymes with -ɛklɪs
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CMU ARPABET: F EH1 K L IH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Without skill, ineffective, incompetent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 4
Lacking vitality.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
generally incompetent and ineffectual
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- feckless attempts to repair the plumbing
- inept handling of the account
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: inept
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
not fit to assume responsibility
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Scots feckless, variant of Scots fectless (“ineffectual”) (an aphetic variant of effectless), equivalent to effect + -less.
Across languages
Translations
71 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: безцелен (bezcelen) — lacking purpose
- Bulgarian: напразен (naprazen) — lacking purpose
- Chinese Cantonese: 廢嘅 /废嘅 (fai3 ge3) — lacking purpose
- Danish: hjælpeløs — lacking purpose
- Danish: initiativløs — lacking purpose
- Dutch: doelloos — lacking purpose
- Finnish: päämäärätön — lacking purpose
- Finnish: joutavanpäiväinen — lacking purpose
- French: irréfléchi — lacking purpose
- French: irresponsable — lacking purpose
- German: nichtsnutzig — lacking purpose
- German: nutzlos — lacking purpose
- German: ziellos — lacking purpose
- Greek: άσκοπος (áskopos) — lacking purpose
- Norwegian: hjelpeløs — lacking purpose
- Norwegian: initiativløs — lacking purpose
- Romanian: ineficient — lacking purpose
- Romanian: inutil — lacking purpose
- Russian: бесце́льный (bescélʹnyj) — lacking purpose
- Russian: напра́сный (naprásnyj) — lacking purpose
- Swedish: hjälplös — lacking purpose
- Swedish: rådlös — lacking purpose
- Bulgarian: вял (vjal) — without skill, ineffective
- Bulgarian: безполезен (bezpolezen) — without skill, ineffective
- Chinese Cantonese: 冇出息嘅 (mou5 ceot1 sik1 ge3) — without skill, ineffective
- Danish: hjælpeløs — without skill, ineffective
- Danish: uduelig — without skill, ineffective
- Dutch: inefficiënt — without skill, ineffective
- Dutch: onhandig — without skill, ineffective
- Finnish: aikaansaamaton — without skill, ineffective
- Finnish: saamaton — without skill, ineffective
- Finnish: avuton — without skill, ineffective
- Finnish: pystymätön — without skill, ineffective
- French: incapable — without skill, ineffective
- German: unfähig — without skill, ineffective
- German: untauglich — without skill, ineffective
- German: wirkungslos — without skill, ineffective
- German: ineffizient — without skill, ineffective
- German: ineffektiv — without skill, ineffective
- Greek: ανίκανος (aníkanos) — without skill, ineffective
- Ido: nekapabla — without skill, ineffective
- Norwegian: hjelpeløs — without skill, ineffective
- Norwegian: udugelig — without skill, ineffective
- Norwegian: ubehjelpelig — without skill, ineffective
- Russian: бесполе́зный (bespoléznyj) — without skill, ineffective
- Russian: вя́лый (vjályj) — without skill, ineffective
- Swedish: oduglig — without skill, ineffective
- Bulgarian: вял (vjal) — lacking vitality
- Bulgarian: слаб (slab) — lacking vitality
- Dutch: futloos — lacking vitality
- Finnish: saamaton — lacking vitality
- Finnish: heikkotahtoinen — lacking vitality
- German: kraftlos — lacking vitality
- German: schlapp — lacking vitality
- German: lahmarschig — lacking vitality
- Greek: ασθενής (asthenís) — lacking vitality
- Russian: вя́лый (vjályj) — lacking vitality
- Russian: сла́бый (slábyj) — lacking vitality
- Bulgarian: безпомощен (bezpomošten) — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- Dutch: lamlendig — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- Finnish: neuvoton — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- Finnish: saamaton — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- Finnish: tahdoton — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- Finnish: heikkoluonteinen — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- German: schwach — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- German: mutlos — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- German: schlaff — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- German: matt — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- German: unmotiviert — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- Greek: άβουλος (ávoulos) — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- Russian: беспо́мощный (bespómoščnyj) — lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way