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effective. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
effective, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
effective in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
effective you have here. The definition of the word
effective will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From French effectif, from Latin effectīvus (“productive; effective”), from efficiō (“I make; I bring about”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
effective (comparative more effective, superlative most effective)
- Having the power to produce a required effect or effects.
- Synonym: efficacious
The pill is an effective method of birth control.
- Producing a decided or decisive effect.
The president delivered an effective speech!
1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. , 2nd edition, London: Francis Ashe , →OCLC:Whosoever is an effective, real cause of doing his neighbour wrong, is criminal.
- Efficient, serviceable, or operative, available for useful work.
- Antonym: nominal
How long does it take to make a bunch of civilians an effective military force?
My effective income after taxes and child support is $500 a month.
The effective radiated power is determined by multiplying the transmitter power output with the antenna gain.
The effective voltage of an alternating current is 0.7 times its peak voltage.
- Actually in effect.
effective immediately
The curfew is effective at midnight.
- (geometry, of a cycle or divisor) Having no negative coefficients.
- (physics, for any effective theory) approximate; Not describing the fundamental dynamic changes in some system as they happen.
Usage notes
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary from 1913 lists efficient and effective as synonyms, but all major dictionaries now show that these words now only have different meanings in careful use. Use of both for the other meaning is however widespread enough that Longman's Exam Dictionary, for example, finds it necessary to proscribe the use of one for the other with several examples at each entry and provides the following summary:
- efficient = working quickly and without waste
- effective = having the desired effect
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
having the power to produce a required effect or effects
- Arabic: فَعَّال (faʕʕāl)
- Belarusian: эфекты́ўны (efjektýŭny)
- Bulgarian: ефекти́вен (bg) (efektíven)
- Catalan: eficaç
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
- Danish: virksom, effektiv
- Dutch: efficiënt (nl), werkzaam (nl), effectief (nl)
- Egyptian: (mnḫ)
- Finnish: tehokas (fi), vaikuttava (fi), tehoava, toimiva (fi), tuloksia tuottava
- French: efficace (fr) m or f
- German: wirksam (de), effektiv (de)
- Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍃𐍄𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌲𐍃 (waurstweigs)
- Greek:
- Ancient: πρακτικός (praktikós), δραστήριος (drastḗrios), ἐνεργής (energḗs), ἐνεργητικός (energētikós)
- Hebrew: יָעִיל (he) (ya'íl), אפקטיבי (he) (efektívi)
- Hungarian: hatásos (hu), hatékony (hu), hathatós (hu), eredményes (hu), célravezető (hu)
- Irish: éifeachtach
- Italian: efficace (it)
- Kazakh: тиімді (tiımdı), нәтижелі (nätijelı)
- Latin: efficax (la)
- Latvian: iedarbīgs
- Malay: berkesan
- Maori: pekepakihiwi
- Norwegian: virkningsfull
- Polish: efektywny (pl), skuteczny (pl)
- Portuguese: eficaz (pt), efetivo (pt)
- Romanian: efectiv (ro) m, eficient (ro) m, efectent m
- Russian: эффекти́вный (ru) (effektívnyj)
- Sanskrit: साधन (sa) (sādhana)
- Scottish Gaelic: èifeachdach
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: учинко̀вит, е̏фектӣван
- Roman: učinkòvit (sh) m, ȅfektīvan (sh)
- Slovak: účinný
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: statkowny, efektiwny
- Spanish: efectivo (es), eficaz (es)
- Swedish: effektiv (sv), verksam (sv), verkningsfull
- Ukrainian: ефекти́вний (efektývnyj)
- Welsh: effeithiol (cy)
- Yiddish: עפֿעקטיוו (efektiv)
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producing a decided or decisive effect
efficient, serviceable, or operative
- Bulgarian: ефикасен (bg) (efikasen)
- Catalan: eficaç
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
- Finnish: vaikuttava (fi), tehollinen, tosiasiallinen (fi), käytettävissä oleva
- French: efficace (fr) m or f
- German: effektiv (de), wirkungsvoll (de)
- Hungarian: effektív (hu), tényleges (hu), valóságos (hu), hasznos (hu), hasznavehető (hu), használható (hu), működő (hu)
- Italian: efficiente (it)
- Norwegian: effektiv (no)
- Portuguese: eficaz (pt)
- Romanian: plin de efect, eficace (ro) m or f
- Russian: эффекти́вный (ru) (effektívnyj), де́йственный (ru) (déjstvennyj)
- Scottish Gaelic: èifeachdach
- Slovak: účinný, skutočný
- Swedish: verksam (sv), funktionell (sv), fungerande (sv)
- Tagalog: mapakipakinabang
- Yiddish: עפֿעקטיוו (efektiv)
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Translations to be checked
Noun
effective (plural effectives)
- (military) a soldier fit for duty
French
Pronunciation
Adjective
effective
- feminine singular of effectif
Latin
Adjective
effectīve
- vocative masculine singular of effectīvus