: having or being of no use:
a
: ineffectual
a useless attempt
b
: not doing or not able to do what is needed
a dull, useless knife
An antibiotic is useless in treating this disease.
uselessly
adverb
uselessness
noun
Examples of useless in a Sentence
The tent is useless in wet conditions.
I made a useless attempt at fixing the leak.
Drugs are useless in treating the condition.
Recent Examples on the Web
Teaching students how to explore connections between characters and conflicts in a novel to people and situations in their own lives makes resorting to chatbots less appealing, if not altogether useless.
—
Gayle Rogers, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
Five-day forecasts are virtually useless, as is our comfort level that the very worst of winter is behind us.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
The screenplay also has a passing reference to Evy’s useless, off-screen boyfriend Darren (voiced by Ryan Turner).
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The wetlands had been sold decades earlier as useless swamp, mostly to unsuspecting northerners with little regard for the powerful benefits that wetlands provide humans.
—Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for useless
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Gayle Rogers, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
Five-day forecasts are virtually useless, as is our comfort level that the very worst of winter is behind us.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
The screenplay also has a passing reference to Evy’s useless, off-screen boyfriend Darren (voiced by Ryan Turner).
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The wetlands had been sold decades earlier as useless swamp, mostly to unsuspecting northerners with little regard for the powerful benefits that wetlands provide humans.
—Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for useless
Cite this Entry
“Useless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/useless. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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