efficacy

Intermediatezipf 3.68

Pronunciation

/ˈɛfɪkəsi/(EF-ih-kuh-see)

Part of speech

nounformal

Chinese

功效；效力（尤指药物或方法的有效性）

Definition

The ability to produce the desired or intended result; effectiveness, especially of a drug or treatment.

Word family

  • efficacious/ˌɛfɪˈkeɪʃəs/(adj)有效的

Collocations

  • clinical efficacy
  • proven efficacy
  • vaccine efficacy
  • therapeutic efficacy
  • question the efficacy

Examples

  1. 1.Clinical trials demonstrated the vaccine's efficacy rate of 95% against the virus. (medical)
  2. 2.Critics questioned the efficacy of sanctions as a tool for changing the regime's behaviour. (effectiveness)

Synonyms

  • effectiveness/ɪˈfɛktɪvnəs/— the degree to which something works — more common
  • potency/ˈpoʊtənsi/— the power or strength of something
  • efficiency/ɪˈfɪʃənsi/— doing something with minimal waste — different focus

Etymology

from Latin "efficacia" (effectiveness) — "efficax" (effective) — "efficere" (to accomplish) — ex- (out) + facere (to do)