✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

usefulness

noun

use·​ful·​ness ˈyüs-fəl-nəs How to pronounce usefulness (audio)
Synonyms of usefulnessnext
: the quality of having utility and especially practical worth or applicability

Examples of usefulness in a Sentence

the well-known usefulness of thick phone books as seat boosters for short diners
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Tuesday, Dallas Area Rapid Transit board members and city officials met to discuss several changes for next year pertaining to DART's usefulness, safety, and the FIFA World Cup. Marissa Armas, CBS News, 2 Dec. 2025 While all these activities demonstrated the humanoids’ ability to handle simple, gentle tasks, the robot showed its industrial usefulness in a video, pulling a cart loaded with three humans weighing around 551 pounds. Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Nov. 2025 After all, semaglutide has been granted permission to treat chronic conditions like kidney disease and cardiovascular disease, and further studies are looking at its usefulness to combat addiction and much more. New Atlas, 24 Nov. 2025 Like the penny, the nickel is limited in its usefulness. Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for usefulness

Word History

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of usefulness was in 1618

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Usefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usefulness. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on usefulness

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!