: 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
The big risk for Perplexity, however, is if the models themselves become commodities, rendering useless a service that allows users to switch between the AIs for tasks.
—
Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 25 Feb. 2026
But other people—a lot of other people—will become useless.
—Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
While sowing seeds in winter is a smart way to get a head start on gardening season, doing so too early can stress your seedlings, rendering your efforts useless.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 22 Feb. 2026
Suspects are allegedly jamming the signal, making your camera useless.
—Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for useless
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Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 25 Feb. 2026
But other people—a lot of other people—will become useless.
—Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
While sowing seeds in winter is a smart way to get a head start on gardening season, doing so too early can stress your seedlings, rendering your efforts useless.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 22 Feb. 2026
Suspects are allegedly jamming the signal, making your camera useless.
—Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 17 Feb. 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 1 Mar. 2026.
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