Link Centre Dictionary

efficient

ef·fi·cient

UK/ɪˈfɪʃənt/ US/ɪˈfɪʃənt/ fairly common

adjective

1.

being effective without wasting time or effort or expense

  • “an efficient production manager”
  • “efficient engines save gas”
2.

able to accomplish a purpose; functioning effectively

  • “people who will do nothing unless they get something out of it for themselves are often highly effective persons...” G.B.Shaw
  • “effective personnel”
  • “an efficient secretary”
  • “the efficient cause of the revolution”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • efficient cause
  • efficient frontier
  • efficient market hypothesis
  • energy efficient
  • Kaldor-Hicks efficient
  • kill two birds with one stone
  • one fell swoop

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.