to no avail

Idioms  

1. Also, of little or no avail. Of no use or advantage, ineffective, as in All his shouting was to no avail; no one could hear him, or The life jacket was of little or no avail. This idiom uses avail in the sense of “advantage” or “assistance,” a usage dating from the mid-1400s. Also see to little purpose.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

to no avail

Concerned employees reportedly ran the story by the outlet’s standards department, to no avail.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

Diplomatic efforts, spearheaded by mediators including Pakistan and Qatar, have tried for months to bring an end to the war to no avail.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

For years, the rest of the world has pleaded with China to change its economic model to rely more on domestic demand, and less on exports, to no avail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Palace have attempted to renew Mateta's contract over the past the 12 months but to no avail.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Both pleaded for their absent spouses— "Emergency operation," "My wife doesn't even speak English"— to no avail.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Related Words

• fruitless
• hollow
• impractical
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• insufficient
• trivial
• unproductive
• unprofitable
• unsuccessful
• useless
• vain
• worthless