efficient en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ɪˈfɪʃənt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɪˈfɪʃənt/ (Canada, US)
- /əˈfɪʃənt/ (Canada, US)
- (US) audio
Etymology
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.
Meanings
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Making good, thorough, or careful use of resources; not consuming extra. Especially, making good use of time or energy.
An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic[…]real kidneys[…]. But they are nothing like as efficient, and can cause bleeding, clotting and infection—not to mention inconvenience for patients, who typically need to be hooked up to one three times a week for hours at a time.
2013 June 1, “A better waterworks”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2023, page 5 (Technology Quarterly):An efficient process would automate all the routine work.
Our cleaners are almost too efficient: they throw away anything left out on a desk.
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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.
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Causing effects, producing results; bringing into being; initiating change (rare except in philosophical and legal expression efficient cause = causative factor or agent).
It was well said of Plotinus, that the stars were significant, but not efficient.
1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=1 to 5):Ownership, maintenance, or use of the automobile need not be the direct and efficient cause of the injury sustained
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(proscribed, qualifier:old use) 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!
1801, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Thalaba the Destroyer, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] [F]or T[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cottle, […], →OCLC:The Efficient Cause is that from which emanates the force that produces the Effect
1856, William Dexter Wilson, An Elementary Treatise on Logic:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more efficient | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most efficient | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
uneconomical · prodigal · inefficient
Deriveds
efficient cause · equiefficient · energy-efficient · efficient market hypothesis · cost-efficient · hyperefficient · tax-efficient · ecoefficient · energy efficient · efficient frontier · nonefficient · efficientness · Kaldor-Hicks efficient · ultraefficient · superefficient · subefficient · efficiently
Hyponyms
frugal · fuel-efficient · well-oiled · laboursaving · energy-saving · energy-efficient · businesslike · cost-effective
Relateds
effector · effective · efficacy · efficacious · effectuate · effectual · potency · excellent · effect · kill two birds with one stone · effectivity · skill · one fell swoop · subefficiency · efficacity · skillful · efficiency · effectiveness
Synonyms
efficacious · economical · businesslike · efficient · potent · lean
Translations (63)
ar فَعَّال (making good use of resources) · hu hatékony (using a particular proportion of available energy) · ru эффекти́вный (making good use of resources) · fr efficace (making good use of resources) · fi säästäväinen ja tehokas (making good use of resources) · fi taloudellinen ja tehokas (making good use of resources) · io efikiva (making good use of resources) · gd èifeachdach (making good use of resources) · ga éifeachtúil (making good use of resources) · bg ефикасен (using a particular proportion of available energy) · es eficiente (making good use of resources) · it performante (making good use of resources) · la efficiens (making good use of resources) · it efficiente (making good use of resources) · ga feidhmiúil (making good use of resources) · uz samarador (making good use of resources) · hu gazdaságos (using a particular proportion of available energy) · ga éifeachtúil (using a particular proportion of available energy) · hu gazdaságos (making good use of resources) · is skilvirkur (making good use of resources) · he יָעִיל (making good use of resources) · bg действен (causing effects; producing results) · fr efficace (using a particular proportion of available energy) · ca eficient (making good use of resources) · ro eficient (causing effects; producing results) · nl efficiënt (making good use of resources) · pt eficaz (causing effects; producing results) · ga éifeachtúil (causing effects; producing results) · es eficaz (making good use of resources) · ko 효율적인 (making good use of resources) · fi hyötysuhde (using a particular proportion of available energy) · fi tehokas (causing effects; producing results) · pl wydajny (making good use of resources) · tl episyente (using a particular proportion of available energy) · cmn 高效率 (making good use of resources) · ro eficient (making good use of resources) · ca eficient (using a particular proportion of available energy) · ms cekap (making good use of resources) · it efficiente (using a particular proportion of available energy) · ga éifeachtach (making good use of resources) · bg резултатен (making good use of resources) · es eficaz (causing effects; producing results) · cs efektivní (making good use of resources) · tr verimli (making good use of resources) · ro but see randament (using a particular proportion of available energy) · sa साधन (causing effects; producing results) · pl sprawny (using a particular proportion of available energy) · fi tehokas (making good use of resources) · grc δραστικός (making good use of resources) · de effizient (making good use of resources) · is nýtinn (making good use of resources) · cs účinný (using a particular proportion of available energy) · nl efficiënt (using a particular proportion of available energy) · gd èifeachdach (using a particular proportion of available energy) · bg ефекти́вен (making good use of resources) · uk ефекти́вний (making good use of resources) · ms efisien (making good use of resources) · be эфекты́ўны (making good use of resources) · syc ܡܸܫܟ݁ܚܵܢܵܐ (causing effects; producing results) · pt eficiente (making good use of resources) · tl episyente (making good use of resources) · pt eficaz (using a particular proportion of available energy) · hu hatékony (making good use of resources)