futile

[fyoot-l, fyoo-tahyl] / ˈfyut l, ˈfyu taɪl /

ADJECTIVE

hopeless, pointless

Synonyms

STRONGEST

fruitless hollow impractical ineffective ineffectual insufficient trivial unproductive unprofitable unsuccessful useless vain worthless

WEAK

abortive barren bootless delusive empty exhausted forlorn idle impracticable in vain no dice nugatory on a treadmill otiose out the window profitless resultless save one's breath sterile to no avail to no effect to no purpose trifling unavailing unimportant unneeded unreal unsatisfactory unsubstantial valueless

Antonyms

STRONGEST

effective fruitful helpful productive profitable successful useful valuable worthwhile

WEAK

hopeful

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.

Under the circumstances, it is no wonder that “turning the page” was futile, and would be again.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

A team led by Lawrence Kazak at McGill University's Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute has now identified the molecular trigger for this alternative system, known as the futile creatine cycle.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

Soon after Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Camus inveighed that “it’s always futile to try to disengage, even if it’s from other people’s stupidity and cruelty. You can’t say, ‘I don’t know.’

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

His behavior has alarmed free speech advocates, including the FCC’s lone Democratic appointee Anna Gomez, who noted that early station renewal reviews are exceedingly rare and largely futile.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

It is as futile to seek the past there as in a refuse of dishes encircling a table, each with its own crust of gravy, its own tale of bone and crackling.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

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