as in futile
producing no results
an unavailing effort to avert a war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unavailing
The position advanced by the states is legally unavailing as a matter of longstanding and well-established law.
—
WSJ, 25 July 2018
Efforts to aid him with lifeboats, three of which were ineffectually trying to breast the heavy sea, were unavailing, while a lifeline, held by a number of rescuers, was carried far out into the surf by a number of swimmers.
—sandiegouniontribune.com, 6 May 2018
WSJ, 25 July 2018
Efforts to aid him with lifeboats, three of which were ineffectually trying to breast the heavy sea, were unavailing, while a lifeline, held by a number of rescuers, was carried far out into the surf by a number of swimmers.
—sandiegouniontribune.com, 6 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unavailing
Adjective
-
The rest of the industry wants to emulate this success, but as many editors know, chasing a trend can be a futile endeavor.—
Rebecca Ackermann,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2025
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At least one company ended the workday early, figuring any attempts to get employees back on track would be futile.—
Kristen Parisi,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The pose Harris struck and held through her unsuccessful 2024 campaign for the White House is called the good soldier.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
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Now, after years of mostly unsuccessful efforts to eliminate windows from cabins, one luxury jet maker appears to be on the verge of doing just that.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Because social platforms have not trained their detection models on sufficient non-English-language and non-Western data, much of the AI-fakes detection technology is still very shaky, if not useless, in the Global South and across the developing world.—
John Wihbey,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
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House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) suggested on Friday that returning to Washington would be all but useless.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unavailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unavailing. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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