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

The broader argument is that AI agents, no matter how capable, are useless in large enterprises without organization-specific context. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026

The inscription would have sent enemies quite an impression as it was burned into the stone with molten lead, as if daring the attackers to continue their useless advance, Live Science continues. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 Mar. 2026

Electronics were useless to her. —Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026

Teaching students how to explore connections between characters and conflicts in a novel to people and situations in their own lives makes resorting to chatbots less appealing, if not altogether useless. —Gayle Rogers, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 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