Word of the Day: efficacious

efficacious ˌe-fə-ˈkā-shəs adjective

1. marked by qualities giving the power to produce an intended effect

2. producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect

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The word efficacious has appeared in 26 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on July 2 in “Influencers Are Drinking Chlorophyll Water. But Why?” by Dawn MacKeen:

On TikTok, young people with glowing skin can be seen sipping magic green potions. After adding a few drops of liquid chlorophyll to glasses of water, they drink, and poof! Their complexions clear, their tummies become less bloated, their body odor improves, all typically within a week.

The claims about the seemingly endless powers of chlorophyll are not new, only the social media platforms for making them are. Yet the messaging is as powerful as ever.

… “We don’t have the evidence behind it being efficacious for any of these indications,” Dr. Gardner said. “It’s not to say that, maybe anecdotally, there are certain people who will benefit because it’s not generally a harmful thing. But I think to portray it as this anticancer, antioxidant, deodorizing, constipation-fixing, pancreatic-curing medicine is not genuine.”

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word efficacious in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how efficacious can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.