low-effort

'Low-effort' describes something done with minimal care or thought — a low-effort meme, a low-effort outfit, a low-effort text reply. It is a standard piece of internet vocabulary used by anyone who spends time online. Among teens it can be a putdown ('this homework is low-effort' = poor quality) or a friendly self-description ('low-effort dinner' = a quick easy meal). Mostly neutral and descriptive, occasionally critical. No coded or hidden meaning. Often used as the opposite of 'high-effort', which means thoughtful and elaborate.

'Low-effort' is a compound adjective from internet English describing something produced with little care, thought or work. Opposite: 'high-effort'. Register: informal but widely used in tech, media and online communities. In formal writing prefer 'cursory', 'minimal', or 'poorly executed' depending on intent. A common learner mistake is to use 'less effort' instead — the fixed compound is 'low-effort', not 'less-effort'. Always hyphenated when used attributively before a noun ('a low-effort meme'); usually unhyphenated as a predicate adjective ('the meme is low effort').