useless

adjective

use·​less ˈyüs-ləs 

: 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

Synonyms of useless

• impractical
• unusable
• unsuitable

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

Ferguson and Levin argue that those ubiquitous CAPTCHA tests will be useless in as little as five years, meaning that humans are going to have to identify themselves in other ways if bots are not going to hijack everything. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026

Such collisions could create fields of debris, potentially rendering entire areas of orbit useless. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 22 July 2026

And yet, Paul can’t help but impose and offend, making even his expertise in home security sickeningly useless. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026

What Actually Belongs in the Fridge Door The good news is that the refrigerator door isn’t useless altogether, of course. — Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 21 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

useless

adjective

use·​less ˈyüs-ləs 

: having or being of no use

uselessly adverb

uselessness noun