efficient
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efficient
- /ɪˈfɪʃənt/ UK
- /ɪˈfɪʃənt/ Canada, US
- /əˈfɪʃənt/ Canada, US
Rhymes with -ɪʃənt
Where it comes from
1398, “making,” from Old French, from Latin efficientem, nominative efficiēns, participle of efficere (“work out, accomplish”) (see effect). Meaning “productive, skilled” is from 1787. Efficiency apartment is first recorded 1930, American English.
adjective more efficient · most efficient
-
Making good, thorough, or careful use of resources; not consuming extra. Especially, making good use of time or energy.
An efficient process would automate all the routine work.
Similar: lean, businesslike
- Expressing the proportion of consumed energy that was successfully used in a process; the ratio of useful output to total input. The motor is only 20% efficient at that temperature.
- Causing effects, producing results; bringing into being; initiating change (rare except in philosophical and legal expression efficient cause = causative factor or agent). Ownership, maintenance, or use of the automobile need not be the direct and efficient cause of the injury sustained
- effective, efficacious Ye wake no more to anguish;‥ ye have borne The Chosen, the Destroyer!‥ soon his hand Shall strike the efficient blow; Soon shaking off your penal forms, shall ye, With songs of joy, amid the Eden groves, Hymn the Deliverer’s praise!
Similar: economical, efficacious, efficient, potent · Opposite: inefficient, prodigal, uneconomical
noun efficients
- A cause; something that causes an effect. Some are without efficient, as God; others without matter, as Angels […].
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: effective, competent, businesslike, timesaving, economic, economical, prompt, expeditious, streamlined, high-octane, underspent, efficiency, workable, effectiveness, functioning, convenient
adjective
Similar: economical, efficacious, efficient, potent · Opposite: inefficient, prodigal, uneconomical
Translations
Every language
adj using a particular proportion of available energy
| Português | eficaz |
|---|---|
| Français | efficace |
| Italiano | efficiente |
| Română | but see randament |
adj making good use of resources
| Español | eficiente, eficaz |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 효율적인 hyoyuljeog-in |
| 中文 | 高效率 gāo xiàolǜ |
| Português | eficiente |
| Français | efficace |
| Deutsch | effizient |
| Italiano | efficiente, performante |
| Română | eficient |
| Русский | эффекти́вный effektívnyj |
| العربية | فَعَّال faʕʕāl |
| עברית | יָעִיל ya'íl |
Talk about this word "efficient." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/efficient. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. efficient. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/efficient "efficient." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/efficient.Cite this
@misc{efficient_2026,
title = {efficient},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/efficient},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
