futility
noun
fu·til·i·ty
fyü-ˈti-lə-tē 
plural futilities
1
: the quality or state of being futile : uselessness
His speech focused on the futility of violence.
2
: a useless act or gesture
the futilities of debate for its own sake—
W. A. White
W. A. WhiteExamples of futility in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Garcia followed with his walk-off hit and was dog piled just behind the second base bag as the team celebrated the breaking of 52 years of futility.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2024
Inside the court, there's broad acknowledgment of the futility in trying to find jurors without knowledge of Trump.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
Spending an hour and half contemplating the futility of human behavior is not for the faint of heart.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
As an uptight husband and his considerably hipper wife, Jed Resnick and Emma Stratton shrewdly capture the futility of reliving a more carefree past.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Real estate agents — a professionally optimistic lot — cannot shake a gnawing sense of futility.
—Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Lions fans celebrating the win and NFL fans tuning in seemed to be in disbelief that the Lions — yes, the Lions — are this close to the Big Game after decades of futility.
—Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press, 21 Jan. 2024
Jorge Soler will put an end to that streak of futility in 2024.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
This policy demonstrated to Palestinians both the futility of negotiating with the Netanyahu government and the inability of the PA to provide basic security.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 4 Jan. 2024
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2024
Inside the court, there's broad acknowledgment of the futility in trying to find jurors without knowledge of Trump.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
Spending an hour and half contemplating the futility of human behavior is not for the faint of heart.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
As an uptight husband and his considerably hipper wife, Jed Resnick and Emma Stratton shrewdly capture the futility of reliving a more carefree past.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Real estate agents — a professionally optimistic lot — cannot shake a gnawing sense of futility.
—Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Lions fans celebrating the win and NFL fans tuning in seemed to be in disbelief that the Lions — yes, the Lions — are this close to the Big Game after decades of futility.
—Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press, 21 Jan. 2024
Jorge Soler will put an end to that streak of futility in 2024.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
This policy demonstrated to Palestinians both the futility of negotiating with the Netanyahu government and the inability of the PA to provide basic security.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 4 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'futility.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near futility
Cite this Entry
“Futility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/futility. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
futility
noun
fu·til·i·ty
ˌfyu̇-ˈtil-ət-ē
plural futilities
1
: the quality or state of being futile
2
: a useless act
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