meaningless

adjective

mean·​ing·​less ˈmē-niŋ-ləs 

1

: having no meaning

especially : lacking any significance

felt his work was meaningless

2

: having no assigned function in a language system

meaninglessly adverb

meaninglessness noun

Synonyms of meaningless

• pointless
• absurd
• stupid
• inane
• silly
• irrational
• empty
• foolish

Examples of meaningless in a Sentence

He felt that his work was meaningless.

The movie was filled with meaningless violence.

Recent Examples on the Web

But it’s lost on these boys, whose youth has been ground away by the drug trade’s meaningless brutality. — Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026

The Detroit Tigers beat the Houston Astros in what might appear to be a meaningless game at the end of June. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 27 June 2026

But other than that the game was meaningless since the Americans had already won the group and qualified for the next round while Turkey was going home no matter the result. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

The result was meaningless to the Americans, who will meet Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday. — ABC News, 25 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

meaningless

adjective

mean·​ing·​less ˈmē-niŋ-ləs 

1

: having no meaning or significance

meaningless chatter

2

: lacking motive

a meaningless murder

meaninglessly adverb

meaninglessness noun