ineffective
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ineffective
Something that has no effect. It does not work as intended or does not achieve the desired result.
Das Medikament war leider unwirksam gegen die Kopfschmerzen.
Unfortunately, the medication was ineffective against the headache.
The word is made up of the prefix 'un-' and the adjective 'wirksam' (effective). The prefix 'un-' means 'not', so 'unwirksam' (ineffective) literally means 'not effective'.
Die getroffenen Maßnahmen waren leider völlig unwirksam.
Unfortunately, the measures taken were completely ineffective.
A common construction is 'gegen etwas unwirksam sein' (to be ineffective against something). It expresses what something has no effect against.
Diese alte Salbe ist gegen den Ausschlag unwirksam.
This old ointment is ineffective against the rash.
'Unwirksam' (ineffective) is often used with verbs such as 'sich erweisen' (to prove to be) or 'sich herausstellen' (to turn out to be). This combination describes that the lack of effect only becomes apparent after some time.
Die neue Strategie hat sich als unwirksam erwiesen.
The new strategy has proven to be ineffective.
unsuccessful
Erfolglos describes an attempt that did not achieve its goal. Unwirksam, by contrast, describes a means that has no intended effect. An attempt can therefore be erfolglos because the measure used was unwirksam.
Das verwendete Reinigungsmittel war gegen den Fleck unwirksam.
The cleaning product used was ineffective against the stain.
Der erste Versuch, den Fleck zu entfernen, blieb erfolglos.
The first attempt to remove the stain was unsuccessful.
