: 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
In practice, this means a madhouse of multimedia rooms, packed with gurgling videos and useless machines and humanoid bodies.
—
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Likewise, counting on social media and tech platforms to simply ban conspiratorial content is useless, as most have no motivation to do so.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The Irkens are useless, while Earth's people — except for Dib, who seems to be the only person with his eyes wide open around here — are oblivious to Zim's schemes and potential invasion.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
My right foot pressed into the brake lever was useless.
—Literary Hub, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for useless
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Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Likewise, counting on social media and tech platforms to simply ban conspiratorial content is useless, as most have no motivation to do so.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The Irkens are useless, while Earth's people — except for Dib, who seems to be the only person with his eyes wide open around here — are oblivious to Zim's schemes and potential invasion.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
My right foot pressed into the brake lever was useless.
—Literary Hub, 27 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2026.
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