1
as in futility
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2
as in pointlessness
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Recent Examples of uselessness
The goal isn't to restrict agents into uselessness.
—
Ajay Pundhir, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2026
The fear of uselessness explains why the banker Eric Tao (Ken Leung) leaves a cushy retirement to get back to finance, even at the cost of neglecting his kids.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Holding back tears, Marta called out the uselessness of comparing this season to last year’s championship run.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025
Ajay Pundhir, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2026
The fear of uselessness explains why the banker Eric Tao (Ken Leung) leaves a cushy retirement to get back to finance, even at the cost of neglecting his kids.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Holding back tears, Marta called out the uselessness of comparing this season to last year’s championship run.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uselessness
Noun
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The Cubs are stuck in a maddening loop of offensive futility.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
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During years of futility, fans have wept collectively both figuratively and literally.—
Shaheem Reid,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Noun
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The battle that follows — a muddy and mean scrum — is even more ghastly, partly for its utter pointlessness.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
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Such expeditions can turn into a Buddhistic exercise in enlightened pointlessness.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That statement stood in stark contrast to the longstanding stodginess of the Kings, which dissipated into flat-out ineffectiveness under Jim Hiller for three quarters of last season until he was sacked.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
11 June 2026
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Brunson’s ineffectiveness throughout the night.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
Noun
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With its absence comes abject horror, meaninglessness, and a total loss of humanity.—
Jenny Odell,
Longreads,
2 June 2026
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The motive behind the trend is rather unclear, but like much of Gen-Z and Generation Alpha culture, the meaning could come from the meaninglessness.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Artist Meredith Reynolds believed Platner’s past paled into insignificance when compared with his opponents.—
David Millward,
The Washington Examiner,
7 June 2026
-
Problems shrink into insignificance.—
Shilo Urban,
Travel + Leisure,
19 May 2026
Noun
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But the flight to extremism, and the metastasizing inanity, is a two-party problem, and those of us who are Democrats and who care about the importance of regrowing the dormant (if not dead) political center have an obligation to try to do something about it.—
Jeffrey Robbins,
Boston Herald,
4 May 2026
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The post-liberals stand for cruelty and inanity, but Brooks can’t admit to standing for much of anything at all.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The condition is marked by intense emotional swings, a chronic feeling of emptiness, and a deep fear of abandonment.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
11 June 2026
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Interstellar space is unforgivingly vast, but the emptiness has some advantages.—
Kai James,
The Conversation,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Uselessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uselessness. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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