as in pointless
having no meaning
this argument over seating arrangements is an utterly meaningless bit of nonsense
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of meaningless
What affected me most in Lahiri’s story was the sense of time passing, the way our obsessions seem meaningless in the aftermath of tragic events (or, rather, from the larger vantage point of a life).
—
Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Trivial, meaningless or low-quality media that have perceived negative effects.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Oct. 2025
Zhu compared himself to an old official under a new emperor; the change had left him with little to do but punch in and write meaningless reports.
—Lavender Au, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
Because the Patriots would go on to score 42 consecutive points before a meaningless touchdown drive by the Panthers in the final minutes, Canales’ head-scratching call the play before Jones’ return has drawn scrutiny.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for meaningless
Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Trivial, meaningless or low-quality media that have perceived negative effects.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Oct. 2025
Zhu compared himself to an old official under a new emperor; the change had left him with little to do but punch in and write meaningless reports.
—Lavender Au, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
Because the Patriots would go on to score 42 consecutive points before a meaningless touchdown drive by the Panthers in the final minutes, Canales’ head-scratching call the play before Jones’ return has drawn scrutiny.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for meaningless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meaningless
Adjective
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Fresh walls and old trims can be a pointless exercise, as shabby trims will attract attention for all the wrong reasons.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Oct. 2025
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The majority of their group, including Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle, were held pointless.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The film’s ever-so-slightly absurd sincerity is nothing if not brazen.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
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Conceptions of world geography at the time were faulty to an almost absurd extent, Bergreen said.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But, God, to be able to play a Pablo Escobar who was just petty and wanted friends, there was something so stupid and so hilarious about that to me.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
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Keaton continued to play oddballs with a peculiar way of talking, though none were trivial or stupid.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As inane and sterile as the marketing was, the actual event wasn’t awful.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Sep. 2025
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How dare your family care so much about inane Mother’s Day festivities?—
Liana Finck,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Duncan is a little bit higher and a little bit more innocent, Tristan’s always being a little bit silly, and then Preston’s pretty much [lowers voice] down here.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
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Nearly two months after losing River, Smith belly-laughed for the first time while watching her two children be silly outside in the rain.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The study, published on the research platform arXiv, found that once the models were allowed to vary their bets and set their own targets, irrational behavior surged — and bankruptcy became a common outcome.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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Poetry brings hope, not an irrational optimism or wishful thinking, but a positive orientation to the future, of what a better, healthier future would look like.—
K.J.S. “Sunny” Anand,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Or for the wide swaths of empty seats in the upper deck that formed after the New York Giants put the game in a vice grip with a three-score lead late in the third quarter and put the Broncos on shutout watch.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
20 Oct. 2025
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The kitchen was empty, save for an enormous stockpot of broth, with chicken feet bobbing at the surface.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Misiorowski had made Edman look foolish in their first matchup, getting the infielder to swing through a wicked curveball.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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Orús and Lizaso believe that the AI arms race is foolish.—
Vivienne Walt,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Meaningless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meaningless. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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