: 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
This tiny amount of copper acts as a molecular steering wheel, preventing sugar molecules from shattering into useless carbon dioxide.
—
Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
This all means standard projections based on typical season performance are useless.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
The hatchback/cargo space is useless since the hatchback cannot be opened.
—John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026
This year's vaccine isn't useless against subclade K, however.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for useless
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Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
This all means standard projections based on typical season performance are useless.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
The hatchback/cargo space is useless since the hatchback cannot be opened.
—John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026
This year's vaccine isn't useless against subclade K, however.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 31 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 9 Jan. 2026.
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