futile

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It might be futile to try making machines that are fully human.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

For now, mining is largely done in ways reminiscent of the United States' gold rush in the 19th century, when so many ended up exhausted in a futile hunt for treasure.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

So you’re not saying that that is a pointless exercise, that the pushback is futile because none of this has meaning.

From Slate • Feb. 3, 2026

It was felt that any surgical intervention would be futile, the court heard.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

During one futile counterattack, “the French infantry made a gallant show, advancing across the Belgian beet fields with colors unfurled and bugles sounding the shrill notes of the ‘charge.’

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman