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
  • The cash flows are less predictable, the diligence is harder, the standard consolidation playbook applies imperfectly, and the failure cases are severe.
    — Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Let a few tendrils fall to frame your face for an imperfectly perfect look like Salma Hayek's style.
    — Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 24 June 2026
Definition of imperfectly
Adverb
  • Like Alito’s paisanes, my Mexican family was also demonized for supposedly being insufficiently American and posing a threat to national unity.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • At times, some groups may feel overlooked or insufficiently welcomed, reminding us that inclusion is a value that must continually be expanded and reaffirmed.
    — Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of insufficiently
Adverb
  • Indian troops were deployed to thwart Chinese advances but were reportedly inadequately supplied, underprepared, and overwhelmed.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 July 2026
  • Undermanned in the middle and inadequately equipped on the back end, Holland, a septuagenarian with four Stanley Cup rings, will have to earn every word of his reputation this summer.
    — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 28 June 2026
Definition of inadequately

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pointlessly
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Cite this Entry

“Pointlessly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pointlessly. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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