feckless

adjective

ˈfek-ləs How to pronounce feckless (audio)
Definition of fecklessnext
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result a well-intentioned but feckless response to the rise in school violence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of feckless Soon after those 2011 protests, Brand Modi was carefully marketed on television channels and burgeoning social media platforms as the redemptive opposite of the images, associations, and stereotypes attached to the corrupt and feckless system. — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026 The Puritans regarded the Cavalier lifestyle, inherited from Charles’s court, as a feckless round of feasting, gambling, and wenching. — James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 Now, remember, all of these ifs depend on a government that remains feckless and people who are too disparate to stop the data center build-out. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 June 2026 Forming a task force to address immigrant discrimination is simultaneously offensive and feckless. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for feckless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feckless
  1. unsuccessful
  2. inefficient
  3. ineffectual
  4. counterproductive
Adjective
  • As the unsuccessful regime-change effort in Iran demonstrated, there are no shortcuts to besting the axis countries, together or individually.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Von Dohlen, a financial adviser and conservative activist who has run three unsuccessful campaigns for City Council, was unopposed in the Republican primary.
    — Katie Bartlett, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsuccessful
Adjective
  • By any objective standard, that technology was outdated, labor-intensive, imprecise, and inefficient.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • In February, the IMF separately warned that Beijing’s state subsidies were producing inefficient firms, with total subsidies amounting to some 4% of GDP.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of inefficient
Adjective
  • This aggression is possible in large part because the institutions responsible for managing the oceans are ineffectual.
    — Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
  • For nearly two decades, Rahul Gandhi has been portrayed as an entitled and ineffectual politician who could neither revive the Indian National Congress party nor challenge the iron rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    — Rana Ayyub, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of ineffectual
Adjective
  • The lesson is not to abandon the region but to rethink an approach that has become both too costly and counterproductive.
    — Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Industry analysts note that abandoning the export ban reflects recognition that such restrictions could prove counterproductive.
    — , CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of counterproductive

Browse Nearby Words

feces
feckless
feckly
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Cite this Entry

“Feckless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feckless. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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