futility

noun

fu·​til·​i·​ty fyü-ˈti-lə-tē 

plural futilities

1

: the quality or state of being futile : uselessness

His speech focused on the futility of violence.

2

: a useless act or gesture

the futilities of debate for its own sake

—W. A. White

Examples of futility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s a lot of futility for one team to absorb in one day. —Charles Odum, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025

Listen to this article NEW YORK — The punchlines would be easy to come by, and the factoids that illuminate futility on an historic scale are easy to list. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025

The sixth is when the Padres stopped a streak of futility against Pirates starter Andrew Heaney, as Arraez led off with a double and scored on Merrill’s second two-out double of the game. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2025

Two Prosecutors, adapted from a 1969 novel by Georgy Demidov, is a bleak shout of futility that’s also strangely, bitterly funny. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 23 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French and Latin; French futilité, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin fūtilitāt-, fūtilitās (also futtilitāt-, futtilitās) "unprofitableness, uselessness," from fūtilis, futtilis "brittle, fragile (of containers), serving no purpose, pointless" + -itāt- -itās -ity — more at futile

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing futility

• exercise in futility

Rhymes for futility

• ability
• agility
• civility
• debility
• docility
• ductility
• facility
• fertility
• fragility
• gentility
• hostility
• humility

Kids Definition

futility

noun

fu·​til·​i·​ty ˌfyu̇-ˈtil-ət-ē 

plural futilities

1

: the quality or state of being futile

2

: a useless act