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.
Our physician father finally conceded that tonic water—thanks to drops of quinine—might not be a completely worthless mix of food coloring and empty calories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The administration process saw Brewdog shut 36 bars while the takeover deal rendered the shares of about 200,000 crowdfunding investors worthless.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Many were also “short-dated,” meaning that if there hadn’t been a big price drop within the coming days, the contracts would have expired worthless.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
The result, researchers found, was a “precipitous” rise in mental distress — including feeling worthless, hopeless, restless or nervous — concentrated among remote workers living alone.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
Had I forgotten her? or was I so worthless as to have grown tired of her pure society?
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
