meaningless

adjective

ˈmē-niŋ-ləs How to pronounce meaningless (audio)
Definition of meaninglessnext
as in pointless
having no meaning this argument over seating arrangements is an utterly meaningless bit of nonsense

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 meaningless Unlike basketball or baseball, pro football is far from the point where regular-season contests become meaningless, but that hasn’t stopped its fans from debating whether the NFL is sapping some of the magic that comes from football’s scarcity. — Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026 On Friday night, the BoSox won 5-2, with the Angels getting two meaningless runs in the eighth inning. — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 Israel dismisses Hamas’ announcement as meaningless political spin. — Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 One sure focus is the rampant grade inflation that exaggerates student achievement and has made graduating high school close to meaningless as an indicator of college preparedness. — U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for meaningless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meaningless
  1. pointless
  2. absurd
  3. stupid
  4. inane
  5. silly
  6. irrational
  7. empty
  8. foolish
Adjective
  • But trade theft cases in Silicon Valley are usually pointless and tragic because information finds a way out of companies anyway.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 11 July 2026
  • Less friction for good actors, less room for bad actors, and less pointless duplication for everyone else, all the while protecting platforms from data breaches and litigation.
    — Raj Ananthanpillai, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of pointless
Adjective
  • In each social-commentary-teetering-on-horror episode, Nanno is a pupil at a different school, picture perfect and scanning the room for whatever secrets — an abusive teacher, an absurd hierarchical system, petty jealousy — demand to be revealed.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • Cattelan spoke to the Financial Times about the strange afterlife of the work, which has become both a symbol of the art market’s excesses and a reminder of his talent for turning absurd ideas into global spectacles.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • There are plenty of videos from Yellowstone National Park involving tourists doing breathtakingly stupid things around wild animals.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026
  • Even when Romanzy goes off on how stupid and ugly Caleb is — and gossips that his parents abandoned him because something must be wrong with him — Mary goes along with it.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • To think our mayor would cheer such a tragic event is undeniably inane and incredibly biased.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 June 2026
  • Our former swing state now has become a red state through and through thanks largely to the new congressional districts which are stretched to inane proportions.
    — Ann Marie Luft, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2026
Definition of inane
Adjective
  • She’s seen during a dance rehearsal, a silly social media clip, and onstage from their Lollapalooza set, the latter of which came before her announcement in February to step away from Katseye.
    — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
  • Starring British comedy favourites such as Kevin Eldon and Miranda Hart, Hyperdrive is a very silly show that ended up more like a workplace sitcom in space rather than the next Red Dwarf.
    — William Worrall, Space.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • Their ideas about it were often steeped in stereotypes suggesting that Buddhists were irrational and childish in their thinking.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 July 2026
  • Scammers often use isolation tactics in phone calls to panic the listener and rush them into making irrational choices that often have financial costs.
    — Ella Moore July 2, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • As with most malls in the United States, its final years were marked by just a tiny trickle of shoppers who had to pass empty storefronts to reach the few remaining open businesses.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026
  • The 80,000-capacity New York New Jersey stadium was packed with few empty seats in the sea of red and white and blue at the final matchup of Spain versus Argentina.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2026
Definition of empty
Adjective
  • Johnson continued this week to push for his foolish and counterproductive desire to impose a $33-per-month tax on each Chicago job generated by the city’s largest private-sector employers.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • As is, this is a foolish thriller that prompts the occasional snicker but not much more.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Definition of foolish

Browse Nearby Words

meaningfulness
meaningless
meaninglessly
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Cite this Entry

“Meaningless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meaningless. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on meaningless

Nglish: Translation of meaningless for Spanish Speakers

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