useless

[ yoos-lis ]

/ ˈyus lɪs /

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See synonyms for: useless / uselessly / uselessness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of no use; not serving the purpose or any purpose; unavailing or futile: It is useless to reason with him.

without useful qualities; of no practical good: a useless person; a useless gadget.

OTHER WORDS FOR useless

1 fruitless, profitless, valueless, worthless, inutile.

2 unserviceable, unusable.

See synonyms for useless on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR useless

1 effective.

See antonyms for useless on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of useless

First recorded in 1585–95; use + -less

synonym study for useless

1. 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 WORDS FROM useless

use·less·ly, adverbuse·less·ness, noun

How to use useless in a sentence

The salt in the water had rendered the land useless for the next three or four years.
Asia’s biggest climate migration|Konstantin Kakaes|November 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Dividers between tables, meanwhile, could stop people from sneezing or coughing on each other, but are useless to stop aerosol transmission.
How to make restaurants safer during the pandemic|Charlotte Jee|October 28, 2020|MIT Technology Review
However, research has shown that B2B buyers say companies often provide too much material that is either useless or lacks substance.
Brands are rethinking content strategies to make personalization pay off|Sitecore|October 23, 2020|Digiday
If mind wandering really is a useless activity, that would leave us with about 50,000,000 wasted thoughts over the course of a lifetime.
It Pays to Be a Space Case - Facts So Romantic|Alice Fleerackers|October 7, 2020|Nautilus

The paper also notes the telescope would likely need significant power storage because observations would take place during the two-week-long lunar night, when solar panels would be useless.
The Far Side of the Moon Is an Ideal Place to Listen For Alien Civilizations|Jason Dorrier|October 4, 2020|Singularity Hub
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is to uselessness what Henry Ford was to the automobile.
Invest in Africa, Not Facebook|Noah Kristula-Green|May 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For others life is but a foolish leisure with mock activities and mimic avocations to mask its uselessness.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
He even opened his lips to speak, but closed them again with a sense of the uselessness of the attempt.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
She was longing to urge her to leave Craddock Dene, but was deterred by the knowledge of the uselessness of such advice.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
Not having anything else to do, and her uselessness vexing her, she took to doctoring the poor and concocting medicines.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
It does not wear its antiquity as an excuse for sinking into mouldering uselessness.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers

British Dictionary definitions for useless

useless

/ (ˈjuːslɪs) /

adjective

having no practical use or advantage

informal ineffectual, weak, or stupidhe's useless at history

Derived forms of useless

uselessly, adverbuselessness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

useless

OTHER WORDS FOR useless

OPPOSITES FOR useless

Origin of useless

synonym study for useless

OTHER WORDS FROM useless

Words related to useless

How to use useless in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for useless

Derived forms of useless