: having or being of no use:
a
: ineffectual
a useless attempt
b
: not doing or not able to do what is needed
a dull, useless knife
An antibiotic is useless in treating this disease.
uselessly
adverb
uselessness
noun
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
My French was useless—I was also considered a tourist by association.
—
Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2025
Responding to a post from Dalio on social media platform X (which Musk owns), the man worth $632 billion argued his pledges were essentially useless.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025
The paradox is that school shooters tend to be children already affiliated with the school, and when someone walks in already firing, checkpoints and metal detectors are useless.
—James Densley, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
Trying to talk sense into him would be useless, however, so a wounded Leroy hands off the dagger to Will and gives him instructions on where to bury it, reasoning that Will and his friends will be able to get to the deadwood without the military spotting them.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for useless
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.
Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2025
Responding to a post from Dalio on social media platform X (which Musk owns), the man worth $632 billion argued his pledges were essentially useless.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025
The paradox is that school shooters tend to be children already affiliated with the school, and when someone walks in already firing, checkpoints and metal detectors are useless.
—James Densley, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
Trying to talk sense into him would be useless, however, so a wounded Leroy hands off the dagger to Will and gives him instructions on where to bury it, reasoning that Will and his friends will be able to get to the deadwood without the military spotting them.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for useless
Cite this Entry
“Useless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/useless. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share