feckless
English edit
Etymology edit
From Scots feckless,[1] variant of Scots fectless (“ineffectual”) (an aphetic variant of effectless), equivalent to effect + -less.[2]
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɛkləs/, /ˈfɛklɪs/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛkləs, -ɛklɪs
Adjective edit
feckless (comparative more feckless, superlative most feckless)
- Lacking purpose.
- September 10 2005, Canberra Times:
- It is the beauty of great games when they are played at their highest level and the extraordinary thing now is that we do not have to trawl back through all the years of your inexorable progress from feckless beach boy to master sportsman.
- Without skill, ineffective, incompetent.
- Lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way.
- (British, archaic) Lacking vitality.
Synonyms edit
- (weak, ineffective): futile, hopeless, ineffective, ineffectual, feeble, meaningless, useless
- (worthless, irresponsible): unpurposed, worthless, aimless, careless, reckless, irresponsible
Antonyms edit
- (antonym(s) of “weak, ineffective”): effective, efficient, meaningful, useful
- (antonym(s) of “worthless, irresponsible”): purposeful, careful, responsible
Related terms edit
Translations edit
lacking purpose
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without skill, ineffective
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lacking vitality
lacking the courage to act in any meaningful way
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Further reading edit
- “feckless”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “feckless”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
References edit
Scots edit
Alternative forms edit
- fectless (obsolete)
Etymology edit
Adjective edit
feckless (not comparable)
References edit
- “feckless” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.