fruitlessness

noun

as in barrenness

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fruitlessness But one series with four minutes remaining highlighted the fruitlessness of this effort. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fruitlessness
  1. barrenness
  2. ineffectiveness
  3. unprofitability
  4. ineffectuality
  5. vanity
  6. inefficacy
  7. emptiness
  8. hopelessness
Noun
  • Shunammite, once so determined to get her period, is staring down the possibility of barrenness and, in Gilead, that means spinsterhood.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
  • Clearly, her absurd office dredged its barrenness from her.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Definition of barrenness
Noun
  • The commission has been plagued by partisan infighting and ineffectiveness, as well as chronic vacancies and a lack of funding.
    — Jen Fifield, ProPublica, 10 July 2026
  • Whether the Red Sox entertain trade offers for Chapman, who would surely garner a haul even with his recent ineffectiveness, will be one of the biggest questions heading into the deadline.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of ineffectiveness
Noun
  • In those cases, unprofitability was as much the story as safety, if not more.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
  • The head of Amazon’s devices and services unit, Panos Panay, has been working to reverse years of unprofitability in the division.
    — Greg Bensinger, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Definition of unprofitability
Noun
  • Caroline’s anguish and her ineffectuality at making progress in finding Gabriel make for some frustrating moments as a reader.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Definition of ineffectuality
Noun
  • Several bestsellers came from the brand’s vintage check range, which includes classic designs — a vanity case, tote bags, the Note bag, and new additions, such as the Cotswolds bag.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 17 July 2026
  • Bathrooms are impressively spacious—they're large enough to fit a double vanity and a glass rain shower.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
Definition of vanity
Noun
  • The impunity of the powerful was measured by the inefficacy of the outraged.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
  • When on day five of his mayoralty Zohran Mamdani acknowledged the inefficacy of homeless sweeps and avowed to end them, street homeless adults, advocates, and attorneys rejoiced.
    — Deborah Berkman, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Definition of inefficacy
Noun
  • Here, emptiness is not vacancy, but composure, proportion and room for thought.
    — Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Not even foundations are visible, and a long gravel road toward that part of the island leads past occasional farms and vast swaths of emptiness and then, finally, to a muddy riverbank thick with mosquitos.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of emptiness
Noun
  • The physical and mental toll was rough—countless tests and scans, monthly (or more frequent) ER visits for severe flares, mental breakdowns, anxiety, fear, panic, depression, insecurity, doubt, and hopelessness.
    — Shannon Dingey, Health, 1 July 2026
  • But where some might see hopelessness, Ortiz sees an opportunity for connection.
    — Joy Resmovits for The Trace, CBS News, 23 June 2026
Definition of hopelessness

Browse Nearby Words

fruitless
fruitlessness
fruits
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Cite this Entry

“Fruitlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fruitlessness. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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