Synonyms of futility

futility

noun

as in uselessness

the quality or state of being useless

The two engaged in a long discussion on the futility of war.

He felt saddened by the apparent futility of his efforts to console her.

Related Words

• uselessness
• hopelessness
• ineffectiveness
• inefficacy
• ineffectuality
• fruitlessness
• ineffectualness
• deficiency
• failure
• pointlessness
• vanity
• unprofitableness
• unprofitability
• inadequacy
• meaninglessness
• emptiness
• barrenness
• inadequateness
• insufficiency
• defeat
• disappointment
• inefficaciousness
• senselessness
• setback
• bootlessness
• abortiveness
• unavailingness
• otioseness
• collapse
• letdown
• inaneness
• nonachievement
• nonsuccess
• cropper
• fizzle
• crash

Dissimilar Words

• use
• usefulness
• utility
• service
• benefit
• advantage
• assistance
• account
• mileage
• gain
• avail
• aid
• success
• victory
• help
• serviceability
• serviceableness
• achievement
• accomplishment
• value
• relevance
• applicability
• appropriateness
• fitness
• worth
• profit
• win

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of futility

Then there is Chicago Bears fans, who pack the old, outdated Soldier Field, even in frigid temperatures, to watch a their team, despite years of futility. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

In the blizzardy hinterlands, boredom is driving two soldiers mad, and a stranger’s arrival only underscores the futility of the war’s propaganda. — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026

For anyone asking whether this kind of analysis—unequal parts interpretation, speculation, and evaluation—will save a worrying figure, the query imparts its own futility. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026

It is well documented that this sense of futility is demotivating. — Anandita Sabherwal, Time, 3 Aug. 2026