worthless

adjective

worth·​less ˈwərth-ləs 

1

a

: lacking worth : valueless

worthless currency

b

: useless

worthless to continue searching

2

: contemptible, despicable

a worthless criminal

worthlessly adverb

worthlessness noun

Synonyms

• chaffy
• empty
• junky
• no-good
• null
• vain
• valueless

Examples of worthless in a Sentence

The boots may be nice, but they're worthless if they don't fit you.

She's depressed and believes that she's worthless.

Recent Examples on the Web

Another’s insurer paid close to $1 million in a single year for worthless care. —Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 14 May 2025

And the further fragmentation of the media landscape doesn’t mean that prime time has suddenly turned into worthless real estate. —Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 9 May 2025

The good news, if there is any, is that the electronics division is now recognized as worthless as part of any sum-of-the-parts analysis. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025

If the equity portion were reduced to 57% with 3% put into bitcoin, the average return drops to 6.8% in the worthless scenario and jumps to 8.2% if bitcoin hits $1 million. —Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 7 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

worthless

adjective

worth·​less ˈwərth-ləs 

1

a

: lacking worth : valueless

b

: useless

worthless to continue searching

2

: deserving of hatred or pity

a worthless coward

worthlessly adverb

worthlessness noun