useless

[ yoos-lis ]
See synonyms for: uselessuselesslyuselessness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. of no use; not serving the purpose or any purpose; unavailing or futile: It is useless to reason with him.

  2. without useful qualities; of no practical good: a useless person; a useless gadget.

Origin of useless

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

synonym study For useless

1. Useless, futile, ineffectual, vain refer to that which is unavailing. That is useless which is unavailing because of the circumstances of the case or some inherent defect: It is useless to cry over spilt milk. Futile suggests wasted effort and complete failure to attain a desired end: All attempts were futile. That which is ineffectual weakly applies energy in an ill-advised way and does not produce a desired effect: an ineffectual effort. That which is vain is fruitless or hopeless even after all possible effort: It is vain to keep on hoping.

Other words for useless

Opposites for useless

Other words from useless

  • use·less·ly, adverb
  • use·less·ness, noun

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

How to use useless in a sentence

  • She drops to the floor on her knees, her head bowed, and the gun falls and skitters uselessly across the wooden floor.

  • Afterward, Christy and her friend sit uselessly on a couch while the men plot the expansion of Facebook.

    The Social Network's Female Props | Rebecca Davis O'Brien | October 3, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • It would be the just man immolating himself uselessly and hopelessly for his country.

  • The giving up of these papers was a first pledge, uselessly made by the Guises to the queen-mother.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
  • But they only churned uselessly in the drift; their hoofs could find no footing, save the yielding masses of snow.

    The White Desert | Courtney Ryley Cooper
  • My duty is to the citizens of the federated governments, and I cannot uselessly sacrifice more lives.

    The Onslaught from Rigel | Fletcher Pratt
  • In South America most of the countries retrograded, and the whole continent was drenched with blood uselessly shed.

    Argentina | W. A. Hirst

British Dictionary definitions for useless

useless

/ (ˈjuːslɪs) /


adjective
  1. having no practical use or advantage

  2. informal ineffectual, weak, or stupid: he's useless at history

Derived forms of useless

  • uselessly, adverb
  • uselessness, 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