1
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
the prison is so well guarded that all attempts to escape have been futile
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of futile
The fight against short-term rentals, after all, can be futile.
—
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 6 June 2025
But without Congress actually enacting the DOGE cuts into law, history will show this entire exercise to have been largely futile.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
The president has not signaled his next move as weeks of futile negotiating with Putin have dragged on.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Questioning proved futile, so investigators searched for hard evidence.
—Sarah Beckwith, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 6 June 2025
But without Congress actually enacting the DOGE cuts into law, history will show this entire exercise to have been largely futile.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
The president has not signaled his next move as weeks of futile negotiating with Putin have dragged on.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Questioning proved futile, so investigators searched for hard evidence.
—Sarah Beckwith, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for futile
Adjective
-
Life-saving efforts were unsuccessful and the man was pronounced dead at the scene, said Officer Anthony Gamble, a Sacramento Police Department spokesperson.—
The Sacramento Bee,
Sacbee.com,
29 June 2025
-
Attempts to impeach Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018, were unsuccessful.—
Avet Demourian,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
One of Netflix’s big movie plays for July is the sequel to its very silly but very fun action fantasy film The Old Guard.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
-
None of that, however, excuses the silly and juvenile behavior of the Assembly’s majority Democrats last week when the chamber took up a resolution commemorating Pride month.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Adjective
-
The price signals are useless because the government prohibited them from being useful.—
The Editors,
National Review,
30 June 2025
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The devices must also give consumers the option of deactivating such features, unless that action would render the device useless.—
Andrew Brown,
Hartford Courant,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Through goofy quips, energetic displays of enthusiasm, and consistent perseverance, Derek continues to push himself and his classmates toward a productive (and silly) semester of learning.—
Caroline Beck,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
-
Despite his affectionate nature and goofy charm, no one ever came to reclaim him—and no one has shown any interest in him since.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
For the latter, Robinson stopped singing at one point and, with deadpan delivery, suggested the only thing that helped with his mental health struggles was a Brazilian butt lift, before shaking his rear for the giddy crowd.—
jsonline.com,
jsonline.com,
4 July 2025
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As triumphant as the album is, Kesha sounds even giddier when speaking about it.—
Jason Lipshutz,
Billboard,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Futile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/futile. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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