useless

adjective

use·​less ˈyüs-ləs 

: having or being of no use:

a

: ineffectual

a useless attempt

b

: not able to give service or aid : inept

uselessly adverb

uselessness noun

Synonyms

• impracticable
• impractical
• inoperable
• nonpractical
• unserviceable
• unusable
• unworkable

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

Encryption serves as a critical line of defense by rendering intercepted data useless to unauthorized parties. —Srikanth Bellamkonda, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Because of this, even areas that are just open fields between pockets of good whitetail habitat, or a stand of mature timber that’s largely useless at this time, might provide medium- to long-range travel routes. —Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 20 Mar. 2025

Advice like meditating daily for an hour or sharpening up our golf game for networking purposes is useless to women because none of us have time for that. —Cherie Kloss, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025

Treasures like our national park system — which are useless when Americans can’t get into them. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

useless

adjective

use·​less ˈyüs-ləs 

: having or being of no use

uselessly adverb

uselessness noun