fruitless

adjective

fruit·​less ˈfrüt-ləs How to pronounce fruitless (audio)
1
: unsuccessful
a fruitless attempt
2
: lacking or not bearing fruit
fruitlessly adverb
fruitlessness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for fruitless

futile, vain, fruitless mean producing no result.

futile may connote completeness of failure or unwisdom of undertaking.

resistance had proved so futile that surrender was the only choice left

vain usually implies simple failure to achieve a desired result.

a vain attempt to get the car started

fruitless comes close to vain but often suggests long and arduous effort or severe disappointment.

fruitless efforts to obtain a lasting peace

Examples of fruitless in a Sentence

They made a fruitless attempt to find a solution. It would be fruitless to continue.
Recent Examples on the Web On one such fruitless job, Mr. McKenzie strode through some bushes near a retirement home, pushing foliage to one side and looking deep into an outhouse by the pool. Natasha Frost David Maurice Smith, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 That includes the notable but fruitless campaigns of John Anderson in 1980; Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996; and Ralph Nader in 2000. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 In North Korea, experts say, Trump handed brutal dictator Kim Jong Un a powerful propaganda victory by holding fruitless and self-aggrandizing summits. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 The customer will still have to spot the specific product, but won’t have to wander the store in a fruitless search. Roger Dooley, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Vigorously scrubbing stains out of carpets and upholstery is a tiring and often fruitless task. Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 17 Jan. 2024 The fruitless search for a serial killer became a cultural phenomenon — the subject of a podcast, a documentary series and a book. Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 Security Council diplomats say that tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine—the topic of scores of fruitless UN debates since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022—are undermining discussions of unrelated issues in Africa and the Middle East. Richard Gowan, Foreign Affairs, 9 Nov. 2023 Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee Mark Green, R-Tenn., was seen on the House floor attempting to convince Gallagher to switch his vote, but those efforts later proved fruitless. USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fruitless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fruytles, frutles, from fruyt, frut fruit entry 1 + -les -less

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fruitless was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fruitless

Cite this Entry

“Fruitless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruitless. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fruitless

adjective
fruit·​less ˈfrüt-ləs How to pronounce fruitless (audio)
1
: not bearing fruit
2
: producing no good results : unsuccessful
a fruitless attempt
fruitlessly adverb
fruitlessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fruitless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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