: having or being of no use:
a
: ineffectual
a useless attempt
b
: not able to give service or aid : inept
uselessly
adverb
uselessness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of useless in a Sentence
The tent is useless in wet conditions.
I made a useless attempt at fixing the leak.
Drugs are useless in treating the condition.
Recent Examples on the Web
The men in charge of my country, like so many leaders around the world, tried to convince women and girls that no one fought for us, that our lives were less important, that protests were useless, and that imprisonment—the punishment for any defiance—meant silence.
—
Nadia Murad, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
This doesn’t mean that the Palma or other e-readers are useless.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Most of us know little about the intricacies of British law, but nearly all of us can understand the exquisite torture of calling a useless customer service hotline or dealing with glitchy software.
—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Other readers spoke of lives crammed with tedious complications, from high-maintenance people to useless possessions.
—Dan White, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
The Guards, as the Irish call their cops, are generally thought useless in the village, an attitude French reinforces.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024
Many people believe that only spam, junk or generally ‘useless’ emails end up in the spam folder.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Cash printed in the morning was useless by the afternoon.
—Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
And solar storms can interfere with the Earth’s magnetic field, rendering that sense useless.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Nadia Murad, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
This doesn’t mean that the Palma or other e-readers are useless.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Most of us know little about the intricacies of British law, but nearly all of us can understand the exquisite torture of calling a useless customer service hotline or dealing with glitchy software.
—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Other readers spoke of lives crammed with tedious complications, from high-maintenance people to useless possessions.
—Dan White, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
The Guards, as the Irish call their cops, are generally thought useless in the village, an attitude French reinforces.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024
Many people believe that only spam, junk or generally ‘useless’ emails end up in the spam folder.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Cash printed in the morning was useless by the afternoon.
—Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
And solar storms can interfere with the Earth’s magnetic field, rendering that sense useless.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'useless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to useless
Dictionary Entries Near useless
Cite this Entry
“Useless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/useless. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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