futilitarian

American

[fyoo-til-i-tair-ee-uhn] / fjuˌtɪl ɪˈtɛər i ən /

adjective

believing that human hopes are vain, and human strivings unjustified.

noun

a person who holds this belief.

futilitarian British

/ fjuːˌtɪlɪˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

of or relating to the belief that human endeavour can serve no useful purpose

"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

noun

one who holds this belief

"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

futilitarianism

noun

Etymology

Origin of futilitarian

1820–30; humorous blend of futile and utilitarian

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.

See Examples For:

futilitarian

My voyeurism has contributed immensely to my becoming a futilitarian, and I hate this conditioning of my soul. . . .

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 4, 2016

Fulton J. Sheen and Niebuhr of being "futilitarian gadflies."

From Time Magazine Archive

Veracity would be a disqualification; if they confined themselves to facts they would not get a hearing. * * * is the nastiest futilitarian of the gang.

From The Letters of Ambrose Bierce With a Memoir by George Sterling by Ambrose Bierce

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