1 useless | Definition of useless

useless

adjective
use·​less | \ ˈyüs-lÉ™s How to pronounce useless (audio) \

Definition of useless

: having or being of no use:
a : ineffectual a useless attempt
b : not able to give service or aid : inept

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Other Words from useless

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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

But that neck would have been useless if their brain could not adapt to control it. Tom Roseberry, Scientific American, "Studying the Superhuman," 4 Sep. 2019 Segun quickly discovers that his engineering degree is as useless as his ten-gallon hat is unfashionable. Julian Lucas, Harper's magazine, "New Books," 22 July 2019 Without such a registry, the system is useless because there is no way for the government to prove whether a transaction is in compliance with the law. Nr Editors, National Review, "The Week," 22 Aug. 2019 So while the memo may be useless, its vitality highlights a disconnect between the privacy violations users seem to be concerned with, and what’s actually going on behind the scenes. Patrick Lucas Austin, Time, "That Instagram Post Everyone Is Sharing Is Just Another Viral Hoax," 21 Aug. 2019 Then again, insisted Sanchez, who has thrown more curveballs and four-seamers with the Astros, game-planning is useless without the talent to apply it. Tyler Kepner, New York Times, "The Astros Are Major League Baseball’s Happy Place," 16 Aug. 2019 Indeed, without such a registry, the system is rendered useless because there is no way for the government to prove whether a transaction has been made in compliance with the law or outside of it. The Editors, National Review, "Against Universal Background Checks," 9 Aug. 2019 The widespread adoption of education technology, which generates data that officials say can make schools more of a target for hackers, also worsens an attack’s effects when instructional tools are rendered useless by internet outages. Michael Melia, The Denver Post, "Cyberattacks inflict deep harm at technology-rich schools," 4 Aug. 2019 The widespread adoption of education technology, which generates data that officials say can make schools more of a target for hackers, also worsens an attack’s effects when instructional tools are rendered useless by internet outages. Washington Post, "Cyberattacks inflict deep harm at technology-rich schools," 16 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'useless.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of useless

1593, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for useless

useless

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of useless

: not at all useful : not doing or able to do what is needed : not producing or able to produce the effect you want

useless

adjective
use·​less | \ ˈyüs-lÉ™s How to pronounce useless (audio) \

Kids Definition of useless

: being of or having no use

Other Words from useless

uselessly adverb
uselessness noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on useless

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with useless

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for useless

Spanish Central: Translation of useless

Nglish: Translation of useless for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of useless for Arabic Speakers