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.
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Recent Examples of futility
The futility of violence doesn’t seem to have always sunk in on a personal level, judging from its characters.
—
John Hopewell, Variety, 17 July 2025
That futility or their whiffs last summer shouldn’t prevent the present-day Ducks from making strong pitches to potential top-of-class free agents like Toronto’s Mitch Marner, Florida’s Sam Bennett and Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 June 2025
But Báez is an unprecedented bounceback story, from futility to pure fun.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 10 July 2025
His favorite character is the Muskrat, a philosopher steeped in the meaninglessness and futility of existence who loves being comfortable in his solace.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for futility
John Hopewell, Variety, 17 July 2025
That futility or their whiffs last summer shouldn’t prevent the present-day Ducks from making strong pitches to potential top-of-class free agents like Toronto’s Mitch Marner, Florida’s Sam Bennett and Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 June 2025
But Báez is an unprecedented bounceback story, from futility to pure fun.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 10 July 2025
His favorite character is the Muskrat, a philosopher steeped in the meaninglessness and futility of existence who loves being comfortable in his solace.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for futility
Recent Examples of Synonyms for futility
Noun
-
As research highlighted the inefficacy and unintended consequences of these laws, states rolled them back or modified them, mostly by partially repealing them or reducing the severity of mandatory sentences.—
John Leverso,
The Conversation,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The solution is to test AI agents thoroughly to identify any inefficacies.—
Theo Schnitfink,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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If your hair loss is down to certain nutrient deficiencies, adopting a healthy diet for your hair can help.—
Morgan Fargo,
Vogue,
20 Aug. 2025
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Luce tells the story of Brzezinski prodding Carter ahead of the debate to push Ford on the deficiencies of his (and Kissinger’s) détente with Moscow and attention to human rights issues.—
Niall Ferguson,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Futility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/futility. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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