feckless

adjective

feck·less ˈfek-ləs How to pronounce feckless (audio)

: weak, ineffective

She can't rely on her feckless son.

: worthless, irresponsible

a feckless maneuver that could only serve to strengthen the enemy

Simon Schama

fecklessly adverb

fecklessness noun

Did you know?

Someone feckless is lacking in feck. And what, you may ask, is feck? In Scots—our source of feckless—feck means "majority" or "effect." The term is ultimately an alteration of the Middle English effect. So something without feck is without effect, or ineffective. In the past, feckful (meaning "efficient, effective," "sturdy," or "powerful") made an occasional appearance. But in this case, the weak has outlived the strong: feckless is a commonly used English word, but feckful has fallen out of use.

Example Sentences

She can't rely on her feckless son. a well-intentioned but feckless response to the rise in school violence

Recent Examples on the Web The Federal Transit Administration analysis, which found focus on long-term projects came at the expense of day-to-day operations and safety, added up to a condemnation of the T’s management in recent years and the state’s feckless oversight.

Taylor Dolven, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2022 Against feckless public response to tragedy, Morrissey pinpoints the thoughtless way pop culture can be misused to anesthetize the populace.

Armond White, National Review, 20 July 2022 Caesar took power from the feckless Senate after waging a civil war against his chief rival, Pompey.

Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 July 2022 And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands.

Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 Perform mindless, pointless and degrading tasks all day while taking guff from perfect strangers and feckless idiots.

Pat Myers, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 Halli, until recently a feckless teen at heart, has to grow up fast.

John Hopewell, Variety, 6 June 2022 Like The Silent Twins, Landscapers revolves around an unlikely pair of feckless criminals (although the Edwards’ crime was far, far more grave), whose co-dependent fantasies add a playful, self-reflexive quality to the drama.

Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2022 There was more deference, more royal blood to marry into, more feckless aristocrats.

Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2022 See More

单词	feckless
释义	feckless adjective feck·less ˈfek-ləs 1 : weak, ineffective She can't rely on her feckless son. 2 : worthless, irresponsible a feckless maneuver that could only serve to strengthen the enemy Simon Schama fecklessly adverb fecklessness noun Did you know? Someone feckless is lacking in feck. And what, you may ask, is feck? In Scots—our source of feckless—feck means "majority" or "effect." The term is ultimately an alteration of the Middle English effect. So something without feck is without effect, or ineffective. In the past, feckful (meaning "efficient, effective," "sturdy," or "powerful") made an occasional appearance. But in this case, the weak has outlived the strong: feckless is a commonly used English word, but feckful has fallen out of use. Synonyms counterproductive hamstrung ineffective ineffectual inefficacious inefficient inexpedient See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences She can't rely on her feckless son. a well-intentioned but feckless response to the rise in school violence Recent Examples on the Web The Federal Transit Administration analysis, which found focus on long-term projects came at the expense of day-to-day operations and safety, added up to a condemnation of the T’s management in recent years and the state’s feckless oversight. Taylor Dolven, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2022 Against feckless public response to tragedy, Morrissey pinpoints the thoughtless way pop culture can be misused to anesthetize the populace. Armond White, National Review, 20 July 2022 Caesar took power from the feckless Senate after waging a civil war against his chief rival, Pompey. Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 July 2022 And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands. Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 Perform mindless, pointless and degrading tasks all day while taking guff from perfect strangers and feckless idiots. Pat Myers, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 Halli, until recently a feckless teen at heart, has to grow up fast. John Hopewell, Variety, 6 June 2022 Like The Silent Twins, Landscapers revolves around an unlikely pair of feckless criminals (although the Edwards’ crime was far, far more grave), whose co-dependent fantasies add a playful, self-reflexive quality to the drama. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2022 There was more deference, more royal blood to marry into, more feckless aristocrats. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Scots, from feck effect, majority, from Middle English (Scots) fek, alteration of Middle English effect First Known Use circa 1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1 feckless adjective as in unsuccessful not producing the desired result a well-intentioned but feckless response to the rise in school violence Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance unsuccessful inefficient counterproductive ineffectual worthless ineffective pointless unprofitable abortive inexpedient useless nonproductive unavailing futile bootless profitless hamstrung inefficacious unproductive fruitless Antonyms & Near Antonyms efficient effective expedient efficacious effectual successful useful operant beneficial helpful worthwhile ultraefficient productive profitable availing See More
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feckless

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

adjective