meaningless

adjective

ˈmē-niŋ-ləs How to pronounce meaningless (audio)
Definition of meaninglessnext
as in pointless
having no meaning this argument over seating arrangements is an utterly meaningless bit of nonsense

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of meaningless So, was that sudden rise a weird quirk of an otherwise meaningless season or a worthwhile sign of things to come? — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 So, no, the Chiefs don’t view it as meaningless so much as being subordinate to the real cause. — Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026 But for a college freshman with a Venmo balance and a favorite team, the distinction is meaningless. — Emily Stack, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026 On the surface to the casual fan, Saturday night’s preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals was a meaningless exhibition smack-dab in the middle of one of the toughest months of the year for football fans. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for meaningless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meaningless
  1. pointless
  2. absurd
  3. stupid
  4. inane
  5. silly
  6. irrational
  7. empty
  8. foolish
Adjective
  • Their views ranged from seeing the gathering as pointless to potentially harmful for battleground candidates.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Interdependence Without Dependence Washington’s pointless scrap with Canada may ultimately do Canada a favor.
    — Wal van Lierop, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of pointless
Adjective
  • The roster might as well be an All-Star team, and this pitching staff is absurd.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The very idea of a trade war with Canada — our neighbor, our ally, our closest friend, a nation that’s peaceful and whose people have a reputation for kindness — is absurd.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • Far too much coverage of declining trust in science — particularly the anti-vaccine movement — is predicated on the assumption that its adherents are either stupid or crazy.
    — Rick Berke, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The Dodge Durango Hellcat is the most accessible way to go stupid-fast in a three-row family car thanks to the Escalade V‘s high price tag.
    — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • Interjecting the bidding with inane questions or other comments about other managers’ rosters or the errant wisdom of their previous bids is highly encouraged to distract other bidders or disrupt any manager counting down in their heads.
    — Sports Betting, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The solutions being proposed and inane rhetoric from people such as Johnson are just massaging the symptoms rather than dealing with the real problems.
    — Ronald J. Allen, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
Definition of inane
Adjective
  • Of course, challenges immediately present themselves, the silliest of which belongs to Samir and Paul Baker.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In practice, a black-and-white hunk of metal sprinting into a wall looks silly.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • But the question remained unsolved for polygons with irrational angles.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As a result, the argument goes, today's spending is irrational because the hardware would need to be replaced too frequently to generate an attractive return on investment, known as ROI.
    — , CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • In the middle of a near-empty parking lot sat an old Chevy pickup truck, rust around the quarter-panels.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
  • After a brief stay in a very creepy hospital (unsettlingly empty) Hal and John reunite.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of empty
Adjective
  • When his splitter is at its best, Cruz makes opposing hitters look foolish.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But Americans would be foolish to think that Washington is anywhere near solving this problem.
    — Doug Beck, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of foolish

Browse Nearby Words

meaningfulness
meaningless
meaninglessly
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Cite this Entry

“Meaningless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meaningless. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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