1
2
as in available
capable of or suitable for being used for a particular purpose I've found this tool really useful for making sure all my pictures are hung straight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in helpful
providing service or assistance hopefully, the consultant's financial advice will prove useful in planning for our retirement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 useful Popular online activists can be useful tools. Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025 Cold frames are also useful in the spring to get a few plants going early, or to start seedlings in pots outdoors. Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Nov. 2025 Crate training can be useful past the puppy stage. Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025 Suet cakes are also very useful if the fall. Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for useful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for useful
Adjective
  • With over 35,000 monthly active users, the platform is designed to allow users to explore different ways of using their digital rewards, depending on availability and applicable guidelines.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Brandon Cwalina, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, which runs Medicaid in the state, said the state already requires every Medicaid applicant to verify their citizenship or, where applicable, their eligible immigration status.
    Kff Health News, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The ecommerce giant is also expected to make its clothing lines available in five Galeries Lafayette malls, which like BHV is owned by the Société des Grands Magasins (SGM) group in the cities of Dijon, Grenoble, Reims, Angers, and Limoges, though the dates are not set.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
  • With most products available online, often at lower prices, department stores must offer some real value to the brick-and-mortar shopper.
    Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Comfy, cozy quilts are equally helpful for both hot and cold sleepers.
    Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Nov. 2025
  • DeZao says one of AI’s most helpful features is its ability to receive instructions and do its work while the human employee can remain focused on the task at hand.
    Rachel Curry, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Dirty Truths reminds us that renewal can be both beautiful and practical.
    Essence, Essence, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The canals and pond, which were aggregately 193,000 cubic meters in volume and appear to have no practical purpose, would have taken 255,000 days of labor by a single individual.
    Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Rehabbing the building also created an opportunity to make functional and aesthetic upgrades to the restaurant, which many felt had become dated.
    Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025
  • This blend of accessibility, technology, and design has turned eyewear into a practical choice that meets both functional needs and personal style.
    Daniel Fusch, Ascend Agency, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Industry pushback and innovation concerns Some tech companies argue that such regulation could stifle innovation, limit beneficial uses of conversational AI (education, mental-health support for older teens) or impose heavy compliance burdens.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
  • However, most are weaker and can deliver beneficial precipitation to water supplies, according to NOAA.
    Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The 2025 Nobel Prize for physics recognizes original investigations in the intersection of basic and applied sciences.
    Zhixin Wang, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Moving beyond the theory of the market, those skilled in applied finance understand how to make practical decisions in financial spaces.
    Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There’s also greater enforcement of encampment and parking rules; the vehicles need to be operable, have up-to-date registration and move every 72 hours.
    Devan Patel, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Under local law, even inoperable or replica weapons are considered potentially operable if they can be modified to fire, placing them under the same strict legal framework.
    Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Useful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/useful. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

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