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.
His threat came after Iran warned the shaky ceasefire in their three-month war was "practically meaningless" following the latest strikes by the United States, which saw Tehran respond with attacks around the region.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 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
The argument is that a fine would be meaningless if Southampton beat Hull to earn promotion to the Premier League.
From BBC • May 19, 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
I also told him that all of Father’s and Mother’s pet names were meaningless, that a kiss here and there didn’t automatically lead to trust.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
