useless

adjective

use·​less ˈyüs-ləs How to pronounce useless (audio)
: having or being of no use:
a
: ineffectual
a useless attempt
b
: not able to give service or aid : inept
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.
Recent Examples on the Web Governments can legally force companies to hand over data, and data which today seems useless may eventually become useful for identifying, or even manipulating, individuals. IEEE Spectrum, 9 Mar. 2024 The electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear explosion would fry the electronic components of many satellites in the vicinity, rendering them useless. Aaron Bateman, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2024 Some say the tiny, seemingly useless appendages, which may have been too small to accomplish anything, might have been well adapted to give other dinosaurs a good slashing from a short distance. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024 But many of these chatbots require you to know exactly how to speak to them, are useless for factual information, constantly make up stuff and in many cases aren’t much of an improvement on existing technologies like an app, news articles, Google or Wikipedia. Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 Other opinions held that the crowd anger had sprung from the Williams sisters making expensive semifinal tickets useless. Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Likewise, when viewed in isolation, employee turnover is a useless figure. Ryan Wong, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 From plastic packaging to useless gadgets that end up in landfills, over-consumption doesn't just have a negative effect on our wallets - but also on our planet and climate change. NPR, 25 Feb. 2024 That has corrupted the entire industry and generated the multitude of useless journals. Torie Bosch, STAT, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'useless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of useless was in 1593

Dictionary Entries Near useless

Cite this Entry

“Useless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/useless. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

useless

adjective
use·​less ˈyüs-ləs How to pronounce useless (audio)
: having or being of no use
uselessly adverb
uselessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on useless

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