inefficient

inefficient — 形容詞

1. not capable of doing a job well because of poor methods, lack of organisation, o

1.形容詞B2
釋義

沒效率

方法不佳，無法有效完成工作

not capable of doing a job well because of poor methods, lack of organisation, or limited ability — a person, a way of working, or a system can be described this way.

例句

Mert was fired because his inefficient methods doubled the team's workload every week.

Mert 因做事方法沒效率，讓團隊每週工作量增加一倍，因而被解僱。

collocation: inefficient methods / inefficient system

Yan found that the inefficient filing system made simple tasks take twice as long.

Yan 發現那個效率很差的歸檔系統，讓簡單的工作花上兩倍的時間。

同義詞
  • ineffective

    focuses on not achieving the desired result at all, whereas inefficient emphasises wasted effort even if the result is eventually reached

  • incompetent

    stronger and more personal — implies a fundamental lack of skill rather than poor method choices

  • unproductive

    highlights low output rather than the quality of the method used

反義詞
  • efficient

    achieves results with minimal wasted time or effort

  • productive

    produces good results in relation to the effort invested

文法句型

inefficient + noun

inefficient at/in + noun/gerund

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person, method, or organisation, not a machine or technical device. For equipment that wastes energy or fuel, see sense 2.

常見錯誤

❌He is inefficient of managing projects.
✅He is inefficient at managing projects.
💡the adjective takes 'at' or 'in', not 'of'.
❌The machine is inefficient about energy.
✅The machine is inefficient in its use of energy.
💡use 'in' followed by a noun phrase describing the area of inefficiency.

2. using more time, money, fuel, or other resources than necessary to achieve a res

2.形容詞B2
釋義

浪費資源

消耗過多時間、金錢或能源

using more time, money, fuel, or other resources than necessary to achieve a result — describes equipment, processes, or systems that consume too much of something valuable.

例句

Nikhil replaced his old inefficient water heater with a new solar-powered model.

Nikhil 把老舊、浪費能源的熱水器換成了新的太陽能機型。

inefficient [appliance] — wastes energy

The factory's inefficient use of raw materials was costing them thousands every month.

這間工廠對原料的使用效率極差，每個月浪費數千元。

同義詞
  • wasteful

    broader — can describe any unnecessary consumption, while inefficient often carries a sense of poor design or mechanics

  • uneconomical

    specifically about money or cost — an inefficient engine may also be uneconomical to run

  • wasteful of

    followed directly by the resource being wasted, e.g. wasteful of energy

反義詞
  • efficient

    achieves a result with minimal waste of resources

  • energy-efficient

    a specific, common compound antonym for appliances and buildings

文法句型

inefficient + noun

inefficient in its use of + noun

用法筆記

Subject is typically a device, piece of equipment, or industrial process. The criticism is about how much of a resource is consumed, not about the skill or ability of a person.

常見錯誤

❌This engine is very inefficient of petrol.
✅This engine is very inefficient
💡it uses too much petrol.' — do not introduce the wasted resource with 'of'; state the inefficiency and then explain what is wasted in a separate clause.