futile
Americanadjective
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incapable of producing any result; ineffective; useless; not successful.
Attempting to force-feed the sick horse was futile.
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trifling; frivolous; unimportant.
adjective
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having no effective result; unsuccessful
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pointless; unimportant; trifling
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inane or foolish
don't be so futile!
Related Words
See useless.
Other Word Forms
- futilely adverb
- futileness noun
- nonfutile adjective
- unfutile adjective
Etymology
Origin of futile
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin fūtilis, futtilis “easily broken, vain, worthless,” equivalent to fūt- (akin to fundere “to pour, melt”) + -ilis -ile
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.
I tried to explain that it wasn’t me that sent the email, but it was as futile as eating soup with a fork.
From Literature
But his paws groped at the open air, the wispy silhouette unaffected by his futile attempt.
From Literature
It might be futile to try making machines that are fully human.
He observes that, from an engineering perspective, it might be futile to try making machines that are fully human—after all, our various abilities have been refined through a lengthy, data-rich evolution.
In the face of a robot invasion, resistance is futile.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
