useless

adjective

ˈyüs-ləs How to pronounce useless (audio)
Definition of uselessnext
1
as in impractical
not capable of being put to use or account a garage full of useless junk

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results a useless attempt to reach an agreement

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 useless Even the useless adults of The Shards would surely act quickly to arrest Robert with this much evidence. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026 Talarico calls Big Bend border wall 'useless' Democratic candidate James Talarico reacted to images of bulldozers at Big Bend in an X post. — Natassia Paloma, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026 Houston Astros outfielder Taylor Trammell took a useless jog around the bases in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this week. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026 Of course, what's worth the money for one person may be completely useless to someone else, regardless of the cost. — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for useless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for useless
  1. impractical
  2. futile
  3. unusable
  4. unsuccessful
  5. unsuitable
Adjective
  • Direct transmission becomes increasingly impractical beyond that point.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026
  • It's born from combining advances across science, engineering and computation in ways that make previously impractical technologies commercially viable.
    — Cyrus Wadia, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of impractical
Adjective
  • The receiving corps is still a question mark, and depending solely on De’Von Achane seems futile.
    — Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Named Wilbur by the hive mind of social media, the animal blew up online after resident Jamaal Harrison posted a video to TikTok on Saturday showing his futile attempts to catch it on an e-bike.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of futile
Adjective
  • John Gruber, a tech blogger, posited that Claude would now more readily default to watermarked words, rather than unleash the full scope of its linguistic range, which might result in lower-quality text, or in some cases unusable prose.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
  • While prolonged exposure to salt water has likely rendered the vehicle unusable on another flight, SpaceX has expressed interest in studying it to make improvements to future iterations.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of unusable
Adjective
  • It could not be immediately determined if Harris has an attorney who could speak on his behalf, and efforts to reach his family by phone were unsuccessful.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Trump met with Kim three times for denuclearization talks during his first term in office that were ultimately unsuccessful.
    — Aileen Graef, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsuccessful
Adjective
  • When channels are created with unsuitable blades, angles, or placement, transplanted hair may grow in an unnatural direction or produce an overly uniform appearance.
    — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Websites often attract unsuitable clients due to ineffective copy, hindering business growth.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsuitable

Browse Nearby Words

usefulness
useless
uselessness
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Cite this Entry

“Useless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/useless. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of useless for Spanish Speakers

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