meaningless

adjective

mean·​ing·​less ˈmē-niŋ-ləs How to pronounce meaningless (audio)
1
: having no meaning
especially : lacking any significance
2
: having no assigned function in a language system
meaninglessly adverb
meaninglessness noun

Examples of meaningless in a Sentence

He felt that his work was meaningless. The movie was filled with meaningless violence.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And the testing is meaningless unless people are also being connected to treatment as quickly as possible. Jennifer Lotito, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 Shaking your fist at the fools who started the First World War and condemned millions to a meaningless death seems jejune; historians teach us to say that the generals did their best under impossible conditions. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025 While women and conservatives are more likely to say all jobs are meaningful, those who view their jobs as meaningless tend to say many other U.S. jobs do not make meaningful contributions, the survey found. Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 20 Apr. 2025 Dallas keeps bringing up last year’s six-game win over Colorado in an apparent effort to buck up themselves and their despondent fans, who are rending their garments over a meaningless seven-game losing streak to end the season. Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for meaningless

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of meaningless was in 1796

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Cite this Entry

“Meaningless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meaningless. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

meaningless

adjective
mean·​ing·​less ˈmē-niŋ-ləs How to pronounce meaningless (audio)
1
: having no meaning or significance
meaningless chatter
2
: lacking motive
a meaningless murder
meaninglessly adverb
meaninglessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on meaningless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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