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 To be useful, our memories are dynamic rather than static, which is why forgetting is an active process, a feature and not a bug. Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025 Copilot’s tendency to produce bullet points instead of extended paragraphs can be useful for quick summaries, but Gemini's answers seem more like the products of thought. PC Magazine, 18 Oct. 2025 This feature proves useful in combat, EOD, and anti-drone work. Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025 Just another useful piece to the Broncos’ deepest position group. Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for useful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for useful
Adjective
  • The offer is applicable for a vehicle lease or purchase, according to Ann Marie Fortunate, a spokeswoman for Stellantis.
    Susan Tompor, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
  • These roles have given me strong skills in fiscal responsibility, transparency, and collaboration — qualities that are directly applicable to serving on the school board.
    Pioneer Press elections team, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The set is available in 19 colors, including a rich clay shade ideal for autumn.
    Melody Kazel, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The details of the cases were not proactively made public beyond being made available for review for anyone who files a request under the state's public records law.
    Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Lessons from history are helpful here.
    Rob Thomas, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
  • This may be helpful for people who are not healthy enough for major surgery.
    Carrie Madormo, Health, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This practical gift idea keeps hands ultra-warm and cozy thanks to its fleeced interior and waterproof, windproof, and snow-proof exterior.
    Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Remote monitoring is another practical frontier.
    Scott R. Schell, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Venture capital performance may be measured in ten-year chunks, but only an elite club of firms can claim to have stayed consistent—let alone functional—for anywhere close to that timeframe.
    Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
  • This can translate to many functional activities, such as picking up a laundry basket or a box and turning to set it down.
    Jakob Roze, Health, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Studies in animal models have also shown that oleic acid, a fatty acid found in olive oil, can enhance the function of the intestinal barrier by increasing the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut, specifically Bifidobacteria.
    Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Though beneficial for water supplies, such events can wreak havoc on travel, bring deadly mudslides and cause catastrophic damage to life and property, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 22 Oct. 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 25 Oct. 2025.

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