bootless

American

[boot-lis] / ˈbut lɪs /

adjective

without result, gain, or advantage; unavailing; useless.

bootless British

/ ˈbuːtlɪs /

adjective

of little or no use; vain; fruitless

a bootless search

"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

Other Word Forms

bootlessly adverb
bootlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of bootless

before 1000; Middle English bot ( e ) les, Old English bōtlēas unpardonable. See boot ², -less

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Behind her a bootless Turtle tiptoed through puddles.

From Literature

The Hessians, completely disheveled, unbuttoned, bootless, listened intently.

From Literature

The young soldier was lying on the bed, his arms thrown over his eyes, his bootless feet dangling over one end.

From Literature

The Harfoots were browner of skin, smaller, and shorter, and they were beardless and bootless; their hands and feet were neat and nimble; and they preferred highlands and hillsides.

From Literature

To the nonbeliever, all such speculation is bootless.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023