feckless
/'feklis/
Definition
Adjective: 1. Lacking strength of character; weak and irresponsible: Describes a person who is careless, unreliable, and fails to take their duties seriously. 2. Ineffective; incompetent; lacking vigor or force: Describes actions or efforts that are feeble, useless, or unlikely to produce a desired result.
Usage and Examples
Describing a person's character:
- He was dismissed for being a feckless employee who never met deadlines.
- The novel's protagonist is a feckless dreamer, unable to manage his practical affairs.
Describing actions or efforts:
- After several feckless attempts to start the car, she finally called for help.
- The government's feckless policies failed to address the economic crisis.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- The word often carries a strong tone of moral judgment or contempt, implying not just failure but a culpable lack of effort or care.
- It can describe a prolonged state of being rather than a single instance: a feckless lifestyle, a feckless administration.
- "Feckless" vs. "Careless": While both imply a lack of care, "feckless" is stronger, suggesting a fundamental weakness of character leading to ineffectiveness. "Careless" is more about a specific lack of attention.
Variants and Related Words
- Fecklessly (adverb): In a feckless manner.
- He wandered fecklessly through life without any clear goals.
- Fecklessness (noun): The quality or state of being feckless.
- The team's failure was due to the sheer fecklessness of its management.
Synonyms
- Inept: Having or showing no skill; clumsy.
- Irresponsible: Not showing a proper sense of responsibility.
- Incompetent: Not having the necessary skills to do something successfully.
- Shiftless: Lacking ambition or initiative; lazy.
Antonyms
- Competent: Having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully.
- Responsible: Having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone.
- Effective: Successful in producing a desired or intended result.
- Dynamic: (Of a person) positive in attitude and full of energy and new ideas.
Idioms and Common Phrases
- While there are no common idioms using the word "feckless" itself, it is frequently used in the following patterns:
- Feckless youth: Describing young people perceived as aimless or irresponsible.
- Feckless leadership: A critical description of weak and ineffective leaders.
Adjective
-
generally incompetent and ineffectual
-
feckless attempts to repair the plumbing
-
inept handling of the account
-
-
not fit to assume responsibility
Khám phá thêm
Các từ liên quan
Từ đồng nghĩa
Từ tương tự
Từ gần giống
Từ chứa "feckless"
Từ có nhắc đến "feckless"
