efficiently

efficiently — adverb

1. in a way that gets tasks done well while using as little time, effort, or materi

1.adverbB2
Definition

in a way that gets tasks done well while using as little time, effort, or materials as needed

Example

Yusuf organized the kitchen tools efficiently so he could cook dinner faster.

adverb after verb: organized efficiently

The night-shift nurse arranged the medicine trays efficiently before the morning check.

efficiently post-modifying verb in workplace context

Common collocations
  • run efficiently
  • work efficiently
  • operate efficiently
  • organize efficiently
  • use efficiently
  • manage efficiently
  • function efficiently
Synonyms
  • effectively

    focuses on achieving the desired result, not necessarily with minimal waste

  • productively

    emphasizes meaningful output or results achieved

  • smoothly

    highlights lack of problems or interruptions during the process

Antonyms
  • inefficiently

    direct opposite; with waste of time, effort, or resources

  • wastefully

    emphasizes using too much of something without good reason

Grammar Patterns

verb + efficiently

more efficiently than ...

efficiently + past participle (e.g. efficiently run)

Usage Note

The adverb typically appears immediately after the verb it modifies (works efficiently, runs efficiently). It can also appear before a past participle (an efficiently designed kitchen). The comparative form more efficiently than is very common for making contrasts. The opposite is inefficiently.

Common Mistakes

The medicine worked efficiently to stop the pain.
The medicine worked effectively to stop the pain.
Efficiently describes the process (how well something is organized); effectively describes the result (whether the goal was achieved).
She ran the meeting more efficient than before.
She ran the meeting more efficiently than before.
After a verb, use the adverb form efficiently, not the adjective efficient.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four adverbs describe positive outcomes, but they emphasize different aspects. Efficiently focuses on the process — using the least time, energy, or materials to get something done, like a factory that recycles its waste water. Effectively focuses on the result — whether the goal was actually achieved, even if the process was not especially lean. Productively adds a sense of meaningful output: a productive meeting produces decisions, while an efficient meeting ends early. Smoothly highlights the absence of problems — a smoothly running event has no delays or confusion. In everyday use, if you want to praise how something was done, efficiently is the best choice when the emphasis is on saving resources; choose effectively when the result matters most. For example: the team worked efficiently to finish the budget report before lunch, and the new pricing strategy worked effectively to increase sales.

efficiently ↗effectively ↗productivelysmoothly ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • very efficiently
  • quite efficiently
  • more efficiently
  • most efficiently
  • less efficiently

Phrases

  • efficiently run
  • efficiently managed
  • efficiently designed
  • efficiently organized

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Efficiently is formed from the adjective efficient plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly. Efficient entered English in the late 1300s through French, tracing back to Latin efficientem, the present participle of efficere, meaning 'to accomplish, produce, or bring about.' Efficere itself is a combination of ex- ('out') and facere ('to do or make'). The modern meaning of 'achieving maximum output with minimum waste' became prominent during the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s and 1800s, when factories and machines made efficiency a measurable goal.