: 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
But her husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), the useless scion of a local pizza magnate, has inadvertently dragged her into a minor scandal.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, dismissed the plan as useless.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Equally useless are old electronics like your college laptop or your husband’s old gaming system.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2025
Storage is oddly placed and often useless and the third row is like sitting on a hard wooden crate.
—New Atlas, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for useless
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.
David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, dismissed the plan as useless.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Equally useless are old electronics like your college laptop or your husband’s old gaming system.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2025
Storage is oddly placed and often useless and the third row is like sitting on a hard wooden crate.
—New Atlas, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for useless
Cite this Entry
“Useless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/useless. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share