worthless
Americanadjective
adjective
-
without practical value or usefulness
-
without merit; good-for-nothing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of worthless
Explanation
If you have your antique pearl necklace appraised by a jeweler and learn that it's a worthless fake, you'll be terribly disappointed, since something that's worthless has no monetary value. Use the adjective worthless to describe something that has no use or isn't worth any money. Your old broken-down car, a stamp collection with no value, and your no-good roommate who never cleans and won't pay his share of the rent could all be described as worthless. The roots are the Old English words weorð, "equal in value to," and leas, "devoid of."
Vocabulary lists containing worthless
Power Suffix: -less
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Good Riddance
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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.
Brewdog's collapse also rendered the shares of about 200,000 crowdfunding investors worthless.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
First the government let its smallest unit of money become worthless.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
By the next summer, problems in his work had left him feeling anxious, depressed and worthless.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
"We are not giving research enough time to prove its worth," Rancillac emphasised, adding that" scientifically worthless" accounts of self-experimentation were being given too much credence.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Roy was crushed—the pictures taken by her stepbrother were worthless.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
