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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
  • But many assumptions that Stratos’ investors or Utah politicians might have had about Box Elder County – about either the acquiescence of its people or the barrenness of its landscape – have been proved wrong over the past few months.
    — Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of barrenness
Noun
  • Unfortunately, his ineffectiveness has begun to drastically affect Miami’s passing attack.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
  • After injuries and ineffectiveness derailed his season, the Cubs are trying to sell Cabrera on being this year’s version of Roki Sasaki, who suddenly clicked out of the bullpen during the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series run.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of ineffectiveness
Noun
  • There was a significant swing from unprofitability to profitability at the group, driven by a strong last quarter.
    — David Moin, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • However, ​entrepreneurs who take a more conservative growth approach with their startups are less likely to align with investors who have a low tolerance for prolonged unprofitability.
    — Richard Ceffalio, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 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
  • Two of the usual product tills were transformed into makeshift vanities for about a dozen beauty lovers to test an assortment of serums and creams.
    — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This is small and simple, with a walk-in shower, a vanity sink, and a flushing toilet.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 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
  • Treating emptiness as sophistication becomes incapable of distinguishing moral from aesthetic judgment.
    — Frank Porcu, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Markets have seen through the emptiness of Bessent’s remedy, as ‘bond vigilantes’ have driven bond yields even higher despite Bessent’s band-aids.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of emptiness
Noun
  • This year's report finds that levels of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness among high schoolers have fallen in recent years – from 42% in 2021, to 40% in 2023 and 33% in 2025.
    — Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Understanding the scope of human suffering and hopelessness in our world stirs a strong internal conflict between empathy and pragmatism.
    — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 23 Sep. 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 27 Sep. 2026.

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