fruitless

adjective

fruit·​less ˈfrüt-ləs 

1

: unsuccessful

a fruitless attempt

2

: lacking or not bearing fruit

fruitlessly adverb

fruitlessness noun

Synonyms of fruitless

• unsuccessful
• futile
• useless

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

Developing a hybrid engine concept might seem fruitless, given that the future of transportation is set to be all-electric. —Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026

For onlookers, the investigation has provided limited clues and false starts, most recently with the recovery of a backpack that proved fruitless. —Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026

In the second, the rapists are so numerous that any attempt to pathologize them becomes fruitless. —Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026

There’s a row of bird of paradise plants that her next door neighbors planted on the same side of the yard, near her fruitless olive tree, that are striking above a selection of succulents and cactus. —Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026

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

Rhymes for fruitless

• bootless
• rootless

Kids Definition

fruitless

adjective

fruit·​less ˈfrüt-ləs 

1

: not bearing fruit

2

: producing no good results : unsuccessful

a fruitless attempt

fruitlessly adverb

fruitlessness noun