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

Of course, these same politicians were nowhere to be found in the past six months of this useless war. — Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026

People tend to think of waste as trash, sewage, slag, manure and other seemingly useless or disgusting substances. — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

Refuse outright, and the tool is useless to whoever authorizes it. — Ethan Pham, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Systems physically cannot share data across platforms, and each country’s exquisite capabilities resemble a walled garden—impressive on their own but useless to anyone on the other side of the wall. — Dan Driscoll, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 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