useful

[ yoos-fuhl ]
See synonyms for useful on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. being of use or service; serving some purpose; advantageous, helpful, or of good effect: a useful member of society.

  2. of practical use, as for doing work; producing material results; supplying common needs: the useful arts; useful work.

Origin of useful

1
First recorded in 1585–95; use + -ful

Other words for useful

Opposites for useful

Other words from useful

  • use·ful·ly, adverb
  • use·ful·ness, noun
  • un·use·ful, adjective
  • un·use·ful·ly, adverb
  • un·use·ful·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use useful in a sentence

  • This was fortunate, because he doubted if labor could be usefully employed upon the stones just yet.

    The Girl From Keller's | Harold Bindloss
  • But while so usefully and pleasantly employed they will soon learn to greet with less regret an occasional rainy day.

    Little Folks | Various
  • My little family, consisting of three persons, all of whom were usefully employed, was not expensive to support.

  • This being the case, it is of course true that the men and material would have been more usefully employed in the Peninsula.

    Battles of English History | H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George
  • Elma did not need the parasol as a shade, but it came in very usefully as a plaything in moments of embarrassment.

    Flaming June | Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey

British Dictionary definitions for useful

useful

/ (ˈjuːsfʊl) /


adjective
  1. able to be used advantageously, beneficially, or for several purposes; helpful or serviceable

  2. informal commendable or capable: a useful term's work

noun
  1. Australian informal an odd-jobman or general factotum

Derived forms of useful

  • usefully, adverb
  • usefulness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012