1
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
the prison is so well guarded that all attempts to escape have been futile
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 futile
The Rockies’ brass, however, doesn’t believe the future is futile.
—
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
The defense forced six turnovers – three fumbles and three interceptions, including the second of the game by Jamal Abdelkarim that ended Irvine’s futile final drive with 23 seconds remaining at midfield.
—Martin Henderson, Oc Register, 30 Aug. 2025
Football fans understandably want to see wingers who thrill by taking on defenders, but if there’s nobody there to cross to, their work is futile.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Any attempt to be quiet would be futile.
—Jim Tschetter, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
The defense forced six turnovers – three fumbles and three interceptions, including the second of the game by Jamal Abdelkarim that ended Irvine’s futile final drive with 23 seconds remaining at midfield.
—Martin Henderson, Oc Register, 30 Aug. 2025
Football fans understandably want to see wingers who thrill by taking on defenders, but if there’s nobody there to cross to, their work is futile.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Any attempt to be quiet would be futile.
—Jim Tschetter, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for futile
Adjective
-
While Hadden-Paton was unsuccessful in keeping his dapper suit, his costar, Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, confessed to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan on Live!—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reached out for comment but was unsuccessful.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Many kids find repeating these phrases satisfying, or silly, or just plain fun to say, Estevez says.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
8 Sep. 2025
-
There are no silly games being played.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Digital fingerprinting collates an array of data from your phone — your IP address, device model and OS, time zone, setup and anything else if can get — to create a unique identifier in aggregate, even if each individual data snippet us useless on its own.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Never mind that large language models have so far proven useless at 95% of the companies that have made their workforces try to use them, researchers from MIT recently found.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Afterlife movies tend to be amiable in a goofy way, one that ends up tamping down the stakes.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Hope Anne is goofy, affectionate, full of zest, and has so much love to give.—
Trish Stinger,
Kansas City Star,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Today's talkers Travis Kelce is giddy.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The result is a sturdy uptrend, full valuations, hopeful but not overly giddy investor sentiment and solid credit conditions.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Futile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/futile. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share