feckless
FEK-lis
/ˈfekləs/
Lacking initiative, strength of character, or responsibility; lazy and inefficient.
Feckless describes a person who is not just incompetent, but also irresponsible, weak-willed, and generally useless because they lack drive.
The story behind the word. Originating in Scotland, 'feckless' is a combination of 'feck' (a shortened form of 'effect' or 'value') and the suffix '-less'. Literally, a feckless person is someone who is 'without effect'—someone who cannot accomplish anything of value.
Word relationships
- irresponsible: Irresponsible means not showing proper care, while feckless goes further to imply a complete lack of character or utility.
- shiftless: Shiftless is very close in meaning, emphasizing a lack of ambition or energy, but feckless is more common in modern literary writing.
- purposeful: Purposeful implies having a clear aim and the determination to achieve it.
- efficacious: Efficacious means successful in producing a desired or intended result.
Commonly confused with
- reckless: Reckless means acting without thinking of the consequences (active danger), while feckless means lacking drive or responsibility (passive uselessness).
Word family
- fecklessness (noun): The quality of being feckless; irresponsibility.
- fecklessly (adverb): In a feckless or irresponsible manner.
Collocations
- feckless youth
- feckless leadership
- feckless behavior
Example sentences
- "The board grew tired of the CEO's feckless leadership, which had allowed the company to drift without a clear strategy." A critique of an irresponsible manager.
Memory hook
Think of 'feckless' as 'effect-less'. A feckless person produces absolutely no effects or results. Feckless = Effect-less.
When not to use
Do not use feckless to describe a highly energetic person who makes mistakes; feckless implies a passive, lazy kind of incompetence.
Fun facts
- The opposite word 'feckful' (meaning efficient or powerful) actually existed in Scots English, but it fell out of use, leaving only 'feckless' behind.
Related words
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