Feckless

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈfɛkləs/

Definitions

1. Lacking initiative, responsibility, or effectiveness; weak and incompetent in character or purpose
2. Characterized by a deficiency in responsibility, initiative, or effectiveness, revealing ineptitude and a lack of determination in one's actions
3. Lacking the ability to take action or be effective, characterized by a weak disposition and a failure to meet responsibilities

Etymology: Feckless is a Scots word, and its first half is a shortened form of "effect." The Scots "fectless" meant "ineffectual," built from "effect" plus the suffix "-less," and over time the opening syllable was clipped by dropping its initial vowel, leaving "feck-" at the front. The pattern is what linguists call aphesis, and it is the same process that turned "esquire" into "squire" in other English words. The clipped form "feck" survives on its own in Scots and Scottish English, where it means "the greater part" or "most of," as in "the feck of it." That sense is a surviving fragment of "effect" in the sense of substance or amount, so the word's roots run through the idea of what actually gets done. A person who is feckless is one with no effect: someone who accomplishes nothing and does not take responsibility for what they should.

Synonyms: ineffective, incompetent

Antonyms: effective, competent