dictionary results for: feckless
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
feck·less /ˈfɛklɪs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[fek-lis] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. ineffective; incompetent; futile: feckless attempts to repair the plumbing.
2. having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy.
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[Origin: 1590–1600; orig. Scots, equiv. to feck, late ME (Scots) fek, aph. form of effeck (Scots form of effect) + -less]
—Related forms
feck·less·ly, adverb
feck·less·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This feck·less (fěk'lĭs) Pronunciation Key
adj.
Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective.
Careless and irresponsible.
[Scots feck, effect (alteration of effect) + -less.]
feck'less·ly adv., feck'less·ness n.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
feckless
1599, from feck, "effect, value, vigor" (1470), Scot. shortened form of effect; popularized by Carlyle, who left its opposite, feckful, in dial. obscurity.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This feckless
adjective
1. not fit to assume responsibility
2. generally incompetent and ineffectual; "feckless attempts to repair the plumbing"; "inept handling of the account"
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Feckless
Feck"less\, a. [Perh. a corruption of effectless.] Spiritless; weak; worthless. [Scot]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.