1
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
the prison is so well guarded that all attempts to escape have been futile
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silly
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the futile chatter of gossip columnists about the comings and goings of Hollywood celebrities
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of futile
Predicting the next pontiff is often a futile endeavor.
—
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2025
These results, though significant, don’t necessarily mean that efforts to effectively mitigate deepfakes are futile.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
The similarly futile attempts to portray John Walker as a flawed but good man, despite his callous rage and murderous tendencies?
—Nola Pfau, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
Rowan also drank from Julien’s cup, but only in the hopes of gaining enough power to bring Lasher back, which turned out to be a futile effort.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2025
These results, though significant, don’t necessarily mean that efforts to effectively mitigate deepfakes are futile.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
The similarly futile attempts to portray John Walker as a flawed but good man, despite his callous rage and murderous tendencies?
—Nola Pfau, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
Rowan also drank from Julien’s cup, but only in the hopes of gaining enough power to bring Lasher back, which turned out to be a futile effort.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for futile
Adjective
-
Several attempts to establish at least a partial ceasefire have been unsuccessful.—
DASHA LITVINOVA,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2025
-
Later that month, Kalyn Free, an attorney from Oklahoma who was unsuccessful in her bid for a vice chair position, filed a complaint alleging that the DNC improperly merged two separate questions into a single vote.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
Using the Graham Norton hologram to tell us that the Earth was turned to ash on May 24th, 2025 is just the right kind of silly for this show.—
Ryan Woodrow,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
-
Eurovision is still too much of a silly spectacle for some, even with JJ in it.—
Alex Marshall,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
But in a time long before replay could overturn a call, protest was useless.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2025
-
Those strong starts are useless if the Celtics can’t hold onto the advantage.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
In one, Donald wears a Pride shirt and a goofy grin outside of the Airport Diner in Manchester, New Hampshire.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2025
-
Here, however, the goofy moments don’t quite mesh with the heaviness of the themes, especially in the immediate wake of Bobby’s death.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
The movie stars Shia LaBeouf, Patricia Arquette, and Sigourney Weaver, with Sachar maintaining the book's penchant for surprise, suspense, and giddy momentum.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
EW.com,
10 May 2025
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Disney’s strong quarterly results and full-year guidance raise has analysts giddy at the media giant’s prospects.—
Hakyung Kim,
CNBC,
7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Futile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/futile. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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