pointlessness

noun

as in meaninglessness

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 pointlessness The battle that follows — a muddy and mean scrum — is even more ghastly, partly for its utter pointlessness. — ABC News, 17 June 2026 Such expeditions can turn into a Buddhistic exercise in enlightened pointlessness. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pointlessness
  1. meaninglessness
  2. irrelevance
  3. inadequacy
  4. inapplicability
  5. wrongness
Noun
  • The game’s meaninglessness didn’t matter to the raucous sellout crowd that packed SoFi Stadium.
    — Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • The game's meaninglessness didn't matter to the raucous sellout crowd that packed SoFi Stadium — dubbed Los Angeles Stadium by FIFA for the World Cup.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Definition of meaninglessness
Noun
  • An experiment demonstrated LLMs altering giraffe spot estimates when a donation was tied to a higher number, despite the logical irrelevance.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • The Heat had slipped to mediocrity; worse, irrelevance.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026
Definition of irrelevance
Noun
  • At the center of the narrative is the theme of parenthood, explored through the eyes of someone who chooses to give it up out of sheer fear and inadequacy.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 23 July 2026
  • The Canadian catastrophe highlighted the inadequacies of the current system of supply and the lack of American credit.
    — Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of inadequacy
Noun
  • Defendants rely on cases that, ironically, only confirm the inapplicability of the § 1252(f)(1) bar here.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Definition of inapplicability
Noun
  • Hidden, almost, in the center of the exhibition are a few of Mendieta’s early paintings from the late 1960s and early 1970s, which have a jarring feeling of wrongness about them.
    — Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
  • Perfection alienates; wrongness invites.
    — Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of wrongness

Browse Nearby Words

pointlessly
pointlessness
point man
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pointlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pointlessness. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of mitigate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All