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What is the difference between effective and efficacy?

effective | efficacy | Related terms |

Efficacy is a related term of effective.



As nouns the difference between effective and efficacy

is that effective is a soldier fit for duty while efficacy is ability to produce a desired amount of a desired effect.

As an adjective effective

is having the power to produce a required effect or effects.

effective

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Having the power to produce a required effect or effects.
  • The pill is an effective method of birth control.
  • Producing a decided or decisive effect.
  • The president delivered an effective speech!
  • * Jeremy Taylor
  • Whosoever is an effective , real cause of doing his neighbour wrong, is criminal.
  • Efficient, serviceable, or operative, available for useful work.
  • How long does it take to make a bunch of civilians an effective military force?
    My effective income after taxes and child support is $500 a month.
    The effective radiated power is determined by multiplying the transmitter power output with the antenna gain.
    The effective voltage of an alternating current is 0.7 times its peak voltage.
  • Actually in effect.
  • The curfew is effective at midnight.
  • Having no negative coefficients.
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • (military) A soldier fit for duty.
  • *1876 , , Recollections of the Elkhorn Campaign :
  • *:The Army of the West reached Corinth sometime after the battle of Shiloh. We were 15,000 effectives , and brought Beauregard's effective force up to 45,000 men.
  • ----

    efficacy

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • (uncountable) Ability to produce a desired amount of a desired effect.
  • Synonyms

    * efficacity