fool's errand

noun

1. a completely absurd, pointless, or useless errand.

fool's errand

noun

1. a fruitless undertaking

Idioms and Phrases

A fruitless mission or undertaking, as in Asking the bank for yet another loan was clearly a fool's errand. [c. 1700]

Example Sentences

Preaching empathy might be a fool’s errand.

From Los Angeles Times

“On a practical level, trying to recreate the feeling that people had when they were in their early twenties? The time that they first heard that music? That’s a fool’s errand,” he said.

From Salon

“It’s a fool’s errand to try and cultivate a persona,” Herlihy said.

From Los Angeles Times

Those searching for shock, laughs and true, jaw-dropping awe at their local multiplex have been sent on a fool’s errand, hopping from theater to theater like the Mystery Inc. gang during a “Scooby-Doo” chase sequence.

From Salon

Trying to predict Donald Trump's economic policy decisions from one moment to the next is a fool's errand.

From Salon

Related Words

• ploy 
• smokescreen www.thesaurus.com