worthless

[wurth-lis] / ˈwɜrθ lɪs /

ADJECTIVE

of no use; without value

Synonyms

STRONGEST

barren bogus futile inconsequential ineffective insignificant meaningless mediocre pointless unimportant unproductive unprofitable unusable useless

WEAK

abandoned abject base cheap contemptible counterproductive despicable empty good-for-nothing ignoble ineffectual inferior inutile miserable no-account no-good nothing nugatory paltry poor profitless sterile trashy trifling trivial unavailing unessential valueless waste wretched

Antonyms

STRONGEST

beneficial fruitful helpful important meaningful productive profitable significant useful valuable worthwhile

WEAK

worthy

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.

This week, Anthropic sparked widespread panic by suggesting some of the investments could be worthless.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

When Montaclair defended himself, he said making up a worthless award is not in itself against the law, and it was local media who had described it as a Nobel.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Medicines can stop pain, fight cancer and save lives but are worthless if they get lost in the mail, spoil in a hot warehouse or are stuck on a ship.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

Bear Stearns’s funds were leveraged at a 3-to-1 ratio, stuffed with opaque collateralized debt obligations tied to a collapsing housing market, and the assets ultimately proved nearly worthless.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

The trick was to recognize a good thing when you saw it, no matter how odd or worthless it might at first appear, no matter who else might just walk away and leave it behind.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Vocabulary lists containing worthless

Power Suffix: -less

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