nugatory

American  

[noo-guh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, nyoo-] / ˈnu gəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˈnyu- /

adjective

1. of no real value; trifling; worthless.

   Synonyms:

   frivolous , insignificant , trivial

2. of no force or effect; ineffective; futile; vain.

   Synonyms:

   inoperative , useless

3. not valid.

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nugatory British  

/ ˈnjuːɡətərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. of little value; trifling

2. not valid

   a nugatory law

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Etymology

Origin of nugatory

1595–1605; < Latin nūgātōrius worthless, useless, trifling, equivalent to nūgā(rī ) to trifle + -tōrius -tory ¹

Example Sentences

Moreover, even for many workers still receiving paychecks, the tax cut would be trivial to the point of being nugatory.

From Los Angeles Times

The committee filed suit for enforcement, lest Congress’s oversight function be rendered anemic, even nugatory.

From Washington Post

Every so often, his breathing gave way to the raw but nugatory cough that had plagued him since—and had perhaps been triggered by—the Reagan Administration.

From The New Yorker

Yet all of these questions seem, increasingly, merely nostalgic, nugatory, in the face of the dissolution of the common solidarity of principles that had once made the liberation happen.

From The New Yorker

This year’s list included “couth,” ”compunction,” and “nugatory,” which doesn’t describe the creamy candy confection known as nougat but means “no value or importance.”

From Seattle Times