: 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
Chocolates and tchotchkes are fun but overdone, and oftentimes, totally useless.
—
Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
For years now, womenswear designers have been delivering us long, thin (and often useless) scarves—harking all the way back to early-aughts Chloé and Marc Jacobs days, when boho-chic ruled the runways.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2025
As sweat poured from his every pore, a make-up team rushed in with useless towelettes.
—Deborah Wilker, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
In this grim futureworld, only useless, fake medications are available to the poor—everything else is out of reach.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for useless
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Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
For years now, womenswear designers have been delivering us long, thin (and often useless) scarves—harking all the way back to early-aughts Chloé and Marc Jacobs days, when boho-chic ruled the runways.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2025
As sweat poured from his every pore, a make-up team rushed in with useless towelettes.
—Deborah Wilker, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
In this grim futureworld, only useless, fake medications are available to the poor—everything else is out of reach.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 12 Nov. 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 26 Nov. 2025.
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