efficiently
Americanadverb
-
in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; capably or competently.
Getting this many people to pass information among themselves efficiently, let alone come up with a coherent plan that everybody understands, requires practice.
-
in a satisfactory and economical way.
The product they are donating will give our volunteers the proper materials to build our homes as efficiently as possible.
-
in a way that utilizes a particular resource with the least waste (usually used in combination).
The lighter your car is, the more fuel-efficiently it will drive.
Other Word Forms
- nonefficiently adverb
- quasi-efficiently adverb
- superefficiently adverb
Etymology
Origin of efficiently
Explanation
If you do something efficiently, you do it productively and quickly. When your dentist efficiently examines your teeth, you are grateful because he does a good job and it's all over quickly. The adverb efficiently has origins in the Latin word efficere, meaning "work out, accomplish." Efficiently can describe any action that's done without wasting time, effort, or materials — and still manages to produce the desired outcome. Today people are using power, fuel, and water more efficiently to conserve natural resources. As a project manager, you efficiently manage your projects so they stay on schedule and under budget.
Vocabulary lists containing efficiently
myPerspectives 7.4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Avoiding price increases for consumers will require diligent utility commissioners who scrutinize spending plans and push for the grid to be used more efficiently, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Bloom said its systems are built to support higher-density AI workloads more efficiently, with a technology platform aligned to emerging standards such as 800 V dc.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
Asset minimums also enable firms to operate more efficiently, Yao says.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
Silicon depends on near-perfect purity to function efficiently, but perovskites benefit from their imperfections.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026
Hannie is marching efficiently at the front in her German Red Cross uniform and the rest of us follow as quickly and confidently as we can manage.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
