useless
Americanadjective
-
of no use; not serving the purpose or any purpose; unavailing or futile.
It is useless to reason with him.
- Synonyms:
- inutile, worthless, valueless, profitless, fruitless
- Antonyms:
- effective
-
without useful qualities; of no practical good.
a useless person; a useless gadget.
- Synonyms:
- unusable, unserviceable
adjective
-
having no practical use or advantage
-
informal ineffectual, weak, or stupid
he's useless at history
Synonym Usage
Useless, futile, ineffectual, vain refer to that which is unavailing. That is useless which is unavailing because of the circumstances of the case or some inherent defect: It is useless to cry over spilt milk. Futile suggests wasted effort and complete failure to attain a desired end: All attempts were futile. That which is ineffectual weakly applies energy in an ill-advised way and does not produce a desired effect: an ineffectual effort. That which is vain is fruitless or hopeless even after all possible effort: It is vain to keep on hoping.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of useless
Explanation
When all else fails, you still have the word useless. Use this adjective when nothing is working and there is no hope of improvement. Less means "without." So something that is useless has no use or value, at least at the present time. Long ago, many blacksmiths concluded it was useless to try to get by making horseshoes after the automobile caught on. Their tools and supplies? Useless, so they thought. They moved on to other careers. Some even bought Fords. Fast forward about a hundred years. Ask antiques dealers if is it useless to present artifacts for sale to history buffs.
Vocabulary lists containing useless
Good Riddance
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 8
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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.
And while his impartiality occasionally and inevitably falters, the missteps show how difficult, and ultimately useless, it is to ignore humanity’s wide-ranging gray areas to make a beeline for black or white.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
A pack of cards made up exclusively of jokers would be useless, just as a society that devalues the individual would be inert.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
"If you take out the radio links then your satellite is very useless."
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Darth Vader sports useless tape recorder-style buttons on his chest plate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
“I’d offer to help with dinner,” Uncle Phil says,“but I only know how to grill burgers. I’m useless at cooking anything else.”
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
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.
