pointless
Americanadjective
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without a point.
a pointless pen.
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blunt, as an instrument.
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without force, meaning, or relevance.
a pointless remark.
- Synonyms:
- ineffectual, futile, unproductive, meaningless
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without a point scored, as in a game.
a pointless inning.
adjective
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without a point
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without meaning, relevance, or force
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sport without a point scored
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pointless
First recorded in 1300–50, pointless is from Middle English point les. See point, -less
Explanation
If something's pointless, it has no use or makes no sense. Telling yourself that it's pointless to be nervous every time you fly on a plane probably won't solve your fear of flying. Taking standardized tests in school often feels pointless, and an even more pointless exercise might be listening to your best friends argue about which 1970s rock band was the greatest. When something has a useful purpose or a good reason to exist, it has a point — and when it doesn't, it's pointless. You can also use this adjective to mean "dull" or "blunt."
Vocabulary lists containing pointless
Never Mind: Synonyms for "Meaningless"
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Unimportant
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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.
Peter Bradshaw is disagreed in The Guardian, external, calling the film a "competent but pointless and unexciting back-to-basics live-action remake" in his two-star review.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
Almost always the topic assumes a Western liberal-democratic definition of rational, which makes the question pointless.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
It is whether your team has learned that speaking up is pointless.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
“Not as stupid and pointless as that other critically overrated piece of junk ‘Get Out,’ but determined to go down trying.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
From far below came a metallic clang, a falling saucepan lid perhaps; the pointless roast dinner was in the earliest stages of preparation.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
