1
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
this argument is totally fruitless, as neither of us will change our position
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barren
not able to produce fruit or offspring
a stand of blighted, fruitless trees
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fruitless
After two fruitless Ducks power plays in the opening minutes, Makar put the Avs ahead from the slot with his 18th goal.
—
CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The season is in Smith’s hands, and the 48-year-old former coach of the Ottawa Senators is determined to succeed in what could otherwise be a fruitless assignment.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Developing a hybrid engine concept might seem fruitless, given that the future of transportation is set to be all-electric.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026
For onlookers, the investigation has provided limited clues and false starts, most recently with the recovery of a backpack that proved fruitless.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fruitless
CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The season is in Smith’s hands, and the 48-year-old former coach of the Ottawa Senators is determined to succeed in what could otherwise be a fruitless assignment.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Developing a hybrid engine concept might seem fruitless, given that the future of transportation is set to be all-electric.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026
For onlookers, the investigation has provided limited clues and false starts, most recently with the recovery of a backpack that proved fruitless.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fruitless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fruitless
Adjective
-
Multiple attempts to reach the property owner were unsuccessful.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
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There is some hope within the organization that Blackburn can follow a path similar to the one that Luke Weaver took, as the ex-Yank transitioned from an unsuccessful starter to a high-leverage reliever while making relatively little money with the team.—
Gary Phillips,
Hartford Courant,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For one thing, the landscape is barren, the trees have yet to blossom and the lawns are all brown.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
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James Walker Tufts, the Boston soda entrepreneur and philanthropist, surely sensed it while traveling through the area at the end of the 19th century, prompting him to buy 5,800 acres in the Sandhills that had been left barren by lumber harvesting.—
Caleb Silver,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Saturday’s game featured a feverish but futile effort marked by a rally from 15 down in the first half, 12 ties and 12 lead changes.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Mar. 2026
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Auditor Diana DiZoglio should abandon her futile court case to open the Legislature’s books and instead work on defeating her troika of opponents the old fashioned way – at the ballot box.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Plants can seed readily, so look for sterile varieties such as 'Select Blue', 'Walker’s Low', or 'Cat’s Meow' that won’t become weedy in the garden.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
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Mulch To maintain healthy strawberries, Montgomery places a sterile straw around the plants and then applies an additional layer of mulch on top.—
Lauren Wellbank,
Martha Stewart,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Generative AI in medicine is neither universally embraced as perfect nor completely dismissed as useless.—
Robert Pearl,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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Computer nerds who’ve never left their basements and mama’s cooking are trying, and have taken over the sport with useless numbers, or analytics.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Rees’ only previous NFL play-calling experience was nine unfruitful games for the Browns last season under new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
2 Feb. 2026
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It’s been a mostly unfruitful quest that dates beyond even their most recent predecessors: Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas and Adam Gase and Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles and John Idzik and even Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fruitless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fruitless. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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