1
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
the prison is so well guarded that all attempts to escape have been futile
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silly
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the futile chatter of gossip columnists about the comings and goings of Hollywood celebrities
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of futile
The deadpan fun comes from Orsolya’s futile search for a shoulder to cry on.
—
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
Edward is paralyzed by the realization that shedding your skin, your name, and your history isn’t transformation but a futile disavowal.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
North Dakota also cosigned a brief in support of a controversial, although ultimately futile, attempt by Utah to dismantle the broader federal public lands system.
—Mary Steurer, ProPublica, 24 Jan. 2025
For Alok Bansal, a newspaper columnist, the exercise is futile – and threatens to deepen divisions.
—Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
Edward is paralyzed by the realization that shedding your skin, your name, and your history isn’t transformation but a futile disavowal.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
North Dakota also cosigned a brief in support of a controversial, although ultimately futile, attempt by Utah to dismantle the broader federal public lands system.
—Mary Steurer, ProPublica, 24 Jan. 2025
For Alok Bansal, a newspaper columnist, the exercise is futile – and threatens to deepen divisions.
—Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for futile
Adjective
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Last May, students barricaded themselves inside the building—after dedicating it to the famed Palestinian painter who died in 2024 following unsuccessful appeals for a medical evacuation from Gaza— amid a rising wave of pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses across the United States.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Nonetheless, Punk had two very unsuccessful, farcical moments in the Octagon, so there could be some credence to Paul’s thought that White wanted nothing else to do with a crossover fight from a WWE Superstar.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Finally, its focus on physics means that things get silly pretty quickly, which makes for very shareable moments and clips.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
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Dozen Bakery off Nolensville Pike is celebrating this silliest of holidays with special pies and quiche.—
Adam Tamburin,
Axios,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Landing on the Moon comes with numerous complications, including an often-uneven surface and the lack of an atmosphere, rendering parachutes useless.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
18 Mar. 2025
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This was quite the useless promo, and much of what Rollins said could have been saved for SmackDown.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Dark Winds took an explicit turn with its social and political commentary in its second season; as a result, the dialogue occasionally veered into goofy literalness, and many of its heavy-handed lines were given to Emma.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2025
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There’s a Moon Alert all day, which adds to the delays and goofy energy and restricts your spending to food and gas.—
Georgia Nicols,
The Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Somewhere up there in Hoops Heaven, Stormin’ Norman Sloan is one giddy Gator who is almost certainly feeling validated and vindicated about the SEC’s basketball awakening.—
Mike Bianchi,
Orlando Sentinel,
20 Mar. 2025
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Indian cricket legend Harmanpreet Kaur was euphoric, roaring loudly into the Mumbai sky and echoed by 15,000 giddy fans at the Brabourne Stadium.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Futile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/futile. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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