meaningless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of meaningless
Explanation
If something's meaningless, it has no real value, purpose, or significance. If someone repeatedly hurts your feelings and casually says they're sorry, you might feel like the apology is meaningless. Words in a book will be meaningless to you if they're written in a language you don't understand, and the small talk you engage in when you run into an acquaintance at the supermarket is often meaningless too. You can probably think of rules that don't have any good reason behind them, and these are also meaningless. When something is important to you, it has meaning — and when it's not, it's meaningless.
Vocabulary lists containing meaningless
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.
Who knew that the ditching of a meaningless bounce match could spark such fury.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Without assigning a sense of consequence, the money becomes meaningless to the kid, said Matt Chancey, a certified financial planner and founder of Tax Alpha Companies in Florida.
From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026
“Moderator questions are so meaningless … and they make it easy for candidates to take potshots at each other,” said longtime political sage Darry Sragow.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026
That such an achievement is, in the grand scheme of things, meaningless does not deter the dedicated player.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
“No. A day job is a meaningless job that pays. No offense to your dad.”
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
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.
