as in futile
producing no results
an unavailing effort to avert a war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unavailing
The position advanced by the states is legally unavailing as a matter of longstanding and well-established law.
—
WSJ, 25 July 2018
Efforts to aid him with lifeboats, three of which were ineffectually trying to breast the heavy sea, were unavailing, while a lifeline, held by a number of rescuers, was carried far out into the surf by a number of swimmers.
—sandiegouniontribune.com, 6 May 2018
WSJ, 25 July 2018
Efforts to aid him with lifeboats, three of which were ineffectually trying to breast the heavy sea, were unavailing, while a lifeline, held by a number of rescuers, was carried far out into the surf by a number of swimmers.
—sandiegouniontribune.com, 6 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unavailing
Adjective
-
Understanding each other is futile.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The court fights all proved futile, however.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Mellon family foundation did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment, and attempts by the Times to reach Mellon were unsuccessful.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.—
Shane Connuck,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But to borrow Manidis’s framework, the drive to create such a tool conflates useless toil with meaningful labor.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The rules of grammar were useless now, and never truly rules.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unavailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unavailing. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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