Effective typically describes things—such as policies, treatments, arguments, and techniques—that do what they are intended to do. People can also be described as effective when they accomplish what they set out to accomplish, but the word is far more often applied to things.
The adjective effective describes things that are adequate to accomplish a purpose, or that produce the intended or expected result. But effective isn’t quite the same as effectual, efficacious, or efficient!
When something such as a law or an agreement becomes effective, it begins officially to apply or be valid. The new rules will become effective in the next few days.
Definition of effective adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Effective and efficient are often confused, but they have slightly different meanings. If you are effective, you do a job properly; if you are efficient, you do it quickly and easily.
Effective, effectual, efficacious, efficient refer to that which is able to produce a (desired) effect. Effective is applied to that which has the power to, or which actually does, produce an effect: an effective action, remedy, speech.
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.
'Effective' describes actions, methods, or strategies that produce the desired results, emphasizing their capacity to bring about a specific effect or impact in a reliable and efficient manner.
effective definition: producing the intended result or impact. Check meanings, examples, usage tips, pronunciation, domains, and related words. Discover expressions like "effective communication", "effective date", "effective dose".
