Synonym Chooser

How is the word otiose distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of otiose are empty, hollow, idle, nugatory, and vain. While all these words mean "being without worth or significance," otiose suggests that something serves no purpose and is either an encumbrance or a superfluity.

a film without a single otiose scene

How do empty and hollow relate to one another, in the sense of otiose?

Both empty and hollow suggest a deceiving lack of real substance or soundness or genuineness.

an empty attempt at reconciliation
a hollow victory

When might idle be a better fit than otiose?

The synonyms idle and otiose are sometimes interchangeable, but idle suggests being incapable of worthwhile use or effect.

idle speculations

When is it sensible to use nugatory instead of otiose?

Although the words nugatory and otiose have much in common, nugatory suggests triviality or insignificance.

a monarch with nugatory powers

When could vain be used to replace otiose?

The words vain and otiose are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, vain implies either absolute or relative absence of value.

vain promises

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for otiose
Adjective
  • These results, though significant, don’t necessarily mean that efforts to effectively mitigate deepfakes are futile.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The similarly futile attempts to portray John Walker as a flawed but good man, despite his callous rage and murderous tendencies?
    Nola Pfau, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Each unsuccessful vote will be burned in a furnace with chemicals to dye the plume a black color.
    Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2025
  • Hutchinson had filed numerous unsuccessful appeals, many focused on mental health problems linked to his Army service.
    CBS News, CBS News, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • In one sense, Henry is the kind of useless man who creates hard times with his own passivity.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin Like many a controversial Y2K trend, the useless hip belt has made its way back into the sartorial zeitgeist with trendsetters like Emily Ratajkowski and Dua Lipa reviving the aesthetic in recent seasons.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 24 Apr. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Otiose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/otiose. Accessed 9 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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