useless

adjective

ˈyüs-ləs How to pronounce useless (audio)
Definition of uselessnext
1
as in impractical
not capable of being put to use or account a garage full of useless junk

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results a useless attempt to reach an agreement

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 useless Likewise, politicians who cannot find consensus and pass legislation are useless. — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026 The scoring models Claude used to rank its own work were good at separating winners from losers within a target, and useless at predicting which targets would fail. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Garcia and Vargas Bustamante both agreed that not all of the health advice available on social media is useless, predatory or incorrect. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Their mother is useless and irresponsible, and Neil can’t stand her. — Abigail Van Buren, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for useless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for useless
  1. impractical
  2. futile
  3. unusable
  4. unsuccessful
  5. unsuitable
Adjective
  • Force majeure clauses excuse a party from performance when an unforeseeable external event like extreme weather or war makes performance impossible or impractical.
    — Ashlee Difuntorum, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There is no justification for American deaths in the name of the unsustainable and impractical goal of total military dominance, let alone unnecessary wars of choice.
    — Alexander Langlois, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of impractical
Adjective
  • In sick bay, M’Benga tries to remove the table and end his life so Chapel can give up on him, an effort that proves futile.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Its storyline spins the futile, determined chase of Wile to one day capture Roadrunner as something admirable, and applies that underdog mentality to the average person trying to navigate a late capitalist landscape that values profits over people.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of futile
Adjective
  • Phoenix Semiconductor engineers helped NAVAIR recover a supply of unusable legacy chips for a safety-critical system on the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • John Gruber, a tech blogger, posited that Claude would now more readily default to watermarked words, rather than unleash the full scope of its linguistic range, which might result in lower-quality text, or in some cases unusable prose.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of unusable
Adjective
  • That ability to learn may ultimately separate successful defenders from unsuccessful ones.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The five unsuccessful trials shared a condition of the test rig rather than indicating a failure of the recovery logic.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsuccessful
Adjective
  • When channels are created with unsuitable blades, angles, or placement, transplanted hair may grow in an unnatural direction or produce an overly uniform appearance.
    — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Websites often attract unsuitable clients due to ineffective copy, hindering business growth.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsuitable

Browse Nearby Words

usefulness
useless
uselessness
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Cite this Entry

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

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