Synonyms of useless

useless

adjective

ˈyüs-ləs 

1

as in impractical

not capable of being put to use or account

a garage full of useless junk

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impractical
• unusable
• unsuitable
• unworkable
• impracticable
• unserviceable
• inoperable
• unavailable
• inaccessible
• nonpractical
• unobtainable
• inert
• unreachable
• unattainable
• inoperative
• inactive
• idle
• latent
• unrealistic
• fallow
• dormant
• free
• arrested
• interrupted
• suspended
• dead

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• useful
• practical
• feasible
• usable
• functional
• applicable
• operational
• workable
• available
• serviceable
• practicable
• operable
• obtainable
• accessible
• utilizable
• handy
• ultrapractical
• active
• reachable
• procurable
• operating
• busy
• acquirable
• functioning
• operative
• employed
• working
• alive
• running
• all-around

2

as in futile

producing no results

a useless attempt to reach an agreement

Synonyms & Similar Words

• futile
• unsuccessful
• ineffective
• worthless
• unprofitable
• ineffectual
• in vain
• unavailing
• unproductive
• fruitless
• vain
• impossible
• abortive
• insufficient
• meaningless
• inadequate
• of no avail
• profitless
• empty
• pointless
• barren
• inefficacious
• bootless
• not worth the candle
• valueless
• otiose
• no dice
• hollow
• lost
• hopeless
• idle
• lacking
• unattainable
• counterproductive
• wanting
• no-win

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• effective
• efficient
• successful
• profitable
• productive
• virtuous
• deadly
• fruitful
• worthwhile
• meaningful
• potent
• sufficient
• adequate
• effectual
• efficacious
• practical
• feasible
• functional
• usable
• applicable
• workable
• practicable
• realizable

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of useless

Some of us choose to stay away from X, Instagram and the like, so posting a bunch of screenshots with links to additional story info on social media apps is useless. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026

An ultra-secure cloud environment is useless if the identity management policy is lax or if access privileges are not reviewed on a strict need-to-know basis. — Vicente Pava, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Now the girls, with their useless prop hats drooping sadly over their foreheads, are forced to watch strangers in even cuter outfits than theirs (according to Jen) doing body rolls all over the boys the main-villa girls have only just managed to wrangle into something like a relationship. — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 22 June 2026

Short for Transparent Secure Memory Encryption, TSME encrypts the entire contents stored in memory, making the data useless to adversaries performing cold boot attacks and similar intrusions requiring physical access. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 22 June 2026