Synonym Chooser

How is the word futile different from other adjectives like it?

The words fruitless and vain are common synonyms of futile. While all three words mean "producing no result," futile may connote completeness of failure or unwisdom of undertaking.

resistance had proved so futile that surrender was the only choice left

How do fruitless and vain relate to one another, in the sense of futile?

Fruitless comes close to vain but often suggests long and arduous effort or severe disappointment.

fruitless efforts to obtain a lasting peace

When could vain be used to replace futile?

The words vain and futile can be used in similar contexts, but vain usually implies simple failure to achieve a desired result.

a vain attempt to get the car started

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 But the job search proved futile, partly due to visa uncertainties and the impacts of the Department of Government Efficiency. David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Sep. 2025 The Rockies lost 4-0 to the Giants on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park, a fitting eulogy to the worst season in franchise history and one of the most futile seasons in baseball’s modern era. Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025 Truly, skimping on this step will render everything else futile. Essence, 23 Sep. 2025 If the goal is to make Russian aggression futile, then the United States and Europe must channel resources into capabilities that deny, disrupt, and paralyze the Russian military. Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for futile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for futile
Adjective
  • Lake Worth police officers and animal control officers searched the area to find the suspect and the brown pit bull but were unsuccessful, police said.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
  • After unsuccessful attempts to identify them, the bodies were declared unidentifiable.
    Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But the tone swings between sour and sweet, grounded and silly, and the jokes run more broadly wacky than precise or original.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
  • In my eyes, much of the charm of a craft brewer is a willingness to be a little silly.
    Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Miles are useless for trying to define how enormous our galaxy is.
    Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Advertisement One Battle After Another, Eddington, and The Mastermind all comedically register white men as useless political collaborators.
    Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Steven Soderbergh’s revamp of the infamous Rat Pack crime caper is far more assured than the original, which was purely a goofy lark; here, there’s actually some care given to things like character motivation and the dynamics of the central Vegas heist.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Cooper gets considerable humorous mileage out of his goofy stoner role, starting with a guffaw-inducing pratfall entrance involving an exploding carton of oat milk.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The crash’s giddy prequel, dramatic unfolding, and shattering aftermath—the Great Depression—has long provided compelling material for writers.
    John Cassidy, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
  • That has Plattner in a giddy mood.
    Eric Stephens, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Futile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/futile. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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