effectively
adverb
Simple meaning
Essentially, in effect, for all practical purposes.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihfehktihvleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪˈfɛktɪvli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
In an efficient or effective manner; with powerful effect.
“These are real problems that can be dealt with most effectively by rational discussion.”
Essentially, in effect, for all practical purposes.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In an efficient or effective manner; with powerful effect.
Used this way, effectively is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“These are real problems that can be dealt with most effectively by rational discussion.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use effectively
- “These are real problems that can be dealt with most effectively by rational discussion.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: in an efficient or effective manner
Antonyms
Sense: in an efficient or effective manner
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.