What does efficient mean?
Word: Efficient
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Efficient means working well and getting a lot done without using up more time, energy or money than needed.
Synonyms: capable, organised, productive
Antonyms: slow
How do you spell efficient?
Syllables: ef - fi - cient
Tricky part: It starts with a double f, as in effort. The sh sound near the end is spelt cient.
Watch out for: efficent, effishent, eficient
Memory tip: The last five letters are the same as the end of ancient: an ancient clock that still keeps perfect time is efficient.
Efficient in a sentence
Example 1: Our new fan is more efficient, so it uses less electricity.
Example 2: Meera is an efficient class monitor who finishes the attendance in two minutes.
Example 3: The metro is an efficient way to cross Paris during the morning rush.
Fun Fact
Efficient goes back to the Latin efficere, meaning to work out or bring about. The word effect comes from the same Latin verb.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
ficnetfie
a) efficient
b) sufficient
c) deficient
d) effective
Show answer
a) efficient. The letters hold two f's and no s, d or v, so only efficient can be made.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word: efficient
a) speedy
b) careful
c) skilled
d) wasteful
Show answer
d) wasteful. Someone wasteful throws away time or money, the reverse of an efficient worker.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) machine
b) energy
c) effecient
d) product
Show answer
c) effecient. After the double f comes an i, not an e: ef-fi-cient.
Word Makeup
Choose the prefix that completes the word:
efficient
a) un
b) dis
c) im
d) in
Show answer
d) in. In turns efficient into its opposite, just as it turns correct into incorrect.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is the most efficient way to water a vegetable patch?
a) A small mug filled again and again
b) A hose left running across the path
c) A drip pipe that feeds each plant's roots
d) A sprinkler that also soaks the road
Show answer
c) A drip pipe that feeds each plant's roots
2. A factory has become more efficient. What has most likely changed?
a) It makes more with the same power
b) It has changed its name and logo
c) It has opened a canteen for its staff
d) It has painted its walls a new colour
Show answer
a) It makes more with the same power
