efficient
efficient Lexical Profile
efficient Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Achieving maximum productivity or desired results with minimum wasted effort, time, energy, or expense (of a system, machine, or process).
"Upgrading to modern LED lighting is a simple way to make the office building more energy efficient."
Working in a well-organized, capable, and methodical way without wasting time or effort (of a person).
"The new administrative assistant is remarkably efficient and finished cataloging the entire archive ahead of schedule."
Directly producing or acting as the immediate agent of an effect or result (chiefly in philosophy and law).
"In Aristotelian philosophy, the carpenter is considered the efficient cause of the wooden table."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Efficient" is often confused with "effective"; while "effective" means producing an intended or successful result regardless of the resources spent, "efficient" specifically means achieving that result with minimal wasted time, effort, or expense.
• Rhymes for efficient
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French and directly from Latin "efficientem" (nominative "efficiens"), the present participle of "efficere" meaning "to work out" or "accomplish", formed from "ex-" (out) and "facere" (to make or do).