If something is inefficient, it wastes time, energy, or resources and does not work as well as it could. It gets results, but not in a smart or effective way.
It comes from Latin “inefficere,” meaning “to be unable to accomplish,” from “in-” (not) and “efficere” (to bring about, to make). The related word “efficient” later came to mean doing things with minimum waste and maximum effect.
Inefficient systems are like leaky buckets: some water reaches the goal, but a lot is lost along the way. The word reminds us that success alone isn’t enough—*how* you get there matters. In math and science, efficiency can often be measured, turning this everyday idea into hard numbers.
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