noun
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lack of effectiveness or success
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lack of purpose or meaning
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something futile
Etymology
Origin of futility
From the Latin word fūtilitās, dating back to 1615–25. See futile, -ity
Explanation
When you can’t see the point in even trying, that’s the feeling of futility, the sense that no matter how much you work at it, nothing good will happen, so you might as well give up. What’s the point? That’s the question asked by anyone who senses the futility of something. The futility of war makes soldiers put down their weapons, and your father’s strict rules makes any protest an act of futility. The root word is the Latin futilis, which literally means “leaky.” Imagine pouring lemonade into a cup that has no bottom. No matter how long you pour, you’ll never get a sip because of that leaky cup. Ah, the futility!
Vocabulary lists containing futility
Born a Crime
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"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
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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.
Strikingly for someone with an enviable career, she is wonderfully unsparing on the futility of chasing success.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
Meanwhile. the Indiana Pacers matched a franchise record for futility with their 12th straight defeat, falling 135-127 to the Magic in Orlando.
From Barron's • Jan. 4, 2026
Bowden’s suggestion that unhappy Pirates fans exhausted by the perennial futility try the Dodgers did not go over well in Pittsburgh.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025
The air is thick with possibility, with futility, with the truth that some hunger is never fed.
From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025
The horse’s campaign became a road show of athletic futility.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
