fruitlessly

The group of survivors were joined by nearly 100 MPs and peers in parliament pledging to work across party lines to tackle the issue rather than fruitlessly "kicking it about" in party political rows.

I know that she spent years fruitlessly searching for her birth mother.

As the passengers fruitlessly tried to escape, Boylan and four crew members jumped from the top deck into the waters of Platts Harbor on Santa Cruz Island.

For months the uncommitted movement — a group that formed during the Democratic primaries — has fruitlessly asked Democratic leaders to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and implement an arms embargo on Israel.

The idea was capture the band's spontaneity and humour, rather than fruitlessly trying to recreate the magic of a demo.