effective synonyms

effective

modif.

efficient, efficacious, effectual, serviceable, producing the expected result, producing the desired result, useful, operative, active, in force, in effect, sufficient, adequate, productive, capable, competent, yielding, practical, valid, telling, striking, forceful, powerful, compelling, cogent, trenchant.

Antonyms inoperative, useless*, inefficient.

effective is applied to that which produces a definite effect or result an effective speaker; efficacious refers to that which is capable of producing the desired effect or result an efficacious remedy; effectual specifically implies the production of the desired effect or result in a decisive manner an effectual reply to his charge; efficient implies skill and economy of energy in producing the desired result and when applied to persons implies competence an efficient machine, an efficient worker

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.