pointlessly

adverb

as in senselessly

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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 pointlessly Don’t be pointlessly inscrutable. — Kim Scott, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026 But Senate Democrats in recent months have perfected the strategy of pointlessly running this tactic into the ground. — Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026 Matvei Michkov, rather than sensing the developing danger, pointlessly floated around at the top of the Flyers’ defensive zone. — Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026 The kitchen is also pointlessly complicated. — Jason Fried, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026 Trump should ask himself whether stirring a hornet’s nest serves any purpose other than pointlessly alienating a benevolent neighbor that is beginning to pad its insurance policy by reaching out to non-hemispheric powers. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026 My partner’s refusal to be comforted by this institutional food struck me sometimes as pointlessly obstructive and at other times as a sign of self-respect. — Rachel Cusk, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025 Few endeavors could signal virtue as pointlessly or gratuitously. — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pointlessly
  1. senselessly
  2. irrelevantly
  3. imperfectly
  4. insufficiently
  5. inadequately
Adverb
  • But Jameson is hardly the first family pet to senselessly perish at the hands of law enforcement officers who resort to deadly force far too quickly.
    — Vanessa Shakib, Oc Register, 23 July 2026
  • All the bad and all the good are gone, senselessly ripped away from them.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
Definition of senselessly
Adverb
  • Grandma, irrelevantly but convincingly, spoke of wars, blizzards and trekking barefoot to school.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Definition of irrelevantly
Adverb
  • Rather than suffering because leaders acted imperfectly, organizations often suffer because leaders waited too long to act at all.
    — Irma Becerra, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Stories of first times, of big feelings imperfectly grasped, of life coming into focus for better or worse.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of imperfectly
Adverb
  • Similar ads released in recent months accuse Moulton of being insufficiently progressive compared to Markey, a co-author of the Green New Deal, who’s seeking a third term in the Senate.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Xavier’s anger with his father flared further when Gene was, in Xavier’s view, insufficiently supportive of attempts to reunite with his mother and help her.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of insufficiently
Adverb
  • Most social media platforms already have a minimum age to register an account, but governments, parents, and child safety advocates argue that these checks are easy to bypass and inadequately enforced.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Yet many still fail to reach their full potential because the directors are insufficiently engaged, inadequately challenged or possibly confined to narrow definitions of their role.
    — James Langabeer, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of inadequately

Browse Nearby Words

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pointlessly
pointlessness
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Cite this Entry

“Pointlessly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pointlessly. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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