Standard Lemma guide

inefficiency

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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

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  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N IH0 F IH1 SH AH0 N S IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Lack of efficiency or effectiveness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

unskillfulness resulting from a lack of efficiency

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: efficiency

Broader terms: unskillfulness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English efficiency English inefficiency From in- + efficiency.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: неспособност (nesposobnost) — degree or measure of someone or something's lack of efficiency or effectiveness
  • Bulgarian: безрезултатност (bezrezultatnost) — degree or measure of someone or something's lack of efficiency or effectiveness
  • Dutch: inefficiëntie — degree or measure of someone or something's lack of efficiency or effectiveness
  • French: inefficacité — degree or measure of someone or something's lack of efficiency or effectiveness
  • German: Ineffizienz — degree or measure of someone or something's lack of efficiency or effectiveness
  • Manx: neufondaght — degree or measure of someone or something's lack of efficiency or effectiveness
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ineffektivitet — degree or measure of someone or something's lack of efficiency or effectiveness
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ineffektivitet — degree or measure of someone or something's lack of efficiency or effectiveness
  • Portuguese: ineficiência — degree or measure of someone or something's lack of efficiency or effectiveness