Skip to main content

connotation - Unnecessary vs wasteful action


What's the best choice of word for an action/activity that has no benefit (i.e., strictly speaking, "unnecessary") when trying to put emphasis on the fact that the action is, in itself, wasted?


Saying "wasteful" is also technically correct because some time/effort is "wasted" on the part of whoever is taking the action, but it might give the impression that it is causing waste externally (general resources / the environment), when, in fact, it makes no difference.


Consider this example: some people argue that DST (daylight saving time) saves electricity for lights, while others argue that it causes more energy/resources to be wasted due to use of air-conditioners, disruptions etc. (it's an example, so please don't start a debate on this here!). Some studies on this have found pros and cons in different areas that probably offset each other, so the overall benefits of either case are inconclusive and probably marginal.


To me, that sounds like switching times is unnecessary in that it has no overall effect/benefit, but "unnecessary" sounds a bit too neutral (doesn't matter, so couldn't care either way); I actually think that going through the process of switching (which is not trivial) is a wasted effort, but calling it "wasteful" might give the impression that I espouse the opinion that DST has overall adverse external effects (wasted energy for ACs/heating, losses in economic activity etc.), which is currently not supported by evidence. In other words, I want to express that I see the main "waste" to be the activity itself.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is 'efficate' a word in English?

I routinely hear the word "efficate" being used. For example, "The most powerful way to efficate a change in the system is to participate." I do not find entries for this word in common English dictionaries, but I do not have an unabridged dictionary. I have checked the OED (I'm not sure if it is considered unabridged), and it has no entry for "efficate". It does have an entry for "efficiate", which is used in the same way. Wordnik has an entry for "efficate" with over 1800 hits, thus providing some evidence for the frequency of use. I personally like the word and find the meaning very clear and obvious when others use it. If it's not currently an "officially documented" word, perhaps its continued use will result in it being better documented.
Post a Comment
Read more