1
2
as in available
capable of or suitable for being used for a particular purpose I've found this tool really useful for making sure all my pictures are hung straight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in helpful
providing service or assistance hopefully, the consultant's financial advice will prove useful in planning for our retirement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of useful What are the risks of buy now, pay later? Experts who spoke to USA TODAY said that buy now, pay later can be useful for those who use it responsibly. Bailey Schulz, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025 Early on, Scharf discovered his training as a public defender was surprisingly useful in the cutthroat world of entertainment law. Claudia Rosenbaum, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025 Using packing cubes can also be useful to prevent things from shifting around. Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 4 Apr. 2025 Ndiaye likes coming inside on his stronger right foot, while McNeil is more useful going on the outside and using his left. Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for useful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for useful
Adjective
  • First, the courts – and in particular the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts – have been expanding corporate constitutional rights, which could allow dual-class founders to carve out exceptions to generally applicable laws.
    Gregory H. Shill, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2025
  • And to be sure, some may be more applicable to large companies in general, and to the financial services sector in particular, than to the broader commercial sector.
    Michael Peregrine, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The top is available in a yellow and black floral print, as well as a solid green.
    Nicol Natale, People.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The Connecticut State Department of Education is actively engaging with federal partners and following all available procedures to seek project-specific extensions.
    Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • However, some experts acknowledge that sibling gifts may be helpful in certain cases, particularly if the sibling has trouble with emotional regulation or a learning difference.
    Sherri Gordon, Parents, 31 Mar. 2025
  • One helpful feature of Enpass Business is automatic offboarding.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In addition to the technological advances required to put a human on Mars, however, is the very practical necessity of developing sustainable food sources in space.
    Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Ian Holzhauer, a former Air Force JAG officer and current councilman, brings deep roots and a practical mindset to local government.
    Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The seating options, fluctuating between beige-brown and flashes of fire-engine red, are strictly functional: boxy armchairs clustered around low tables or standard four-tops by the hot breakfast buffet.
    Scott Campbell, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Public transportation options are quirky but functional.
    Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Though fluoride is seen as beneficial by medical experts, its use in drinking water has sparked a debate ignited by Kennedy, who has been a vocal opponent of fluoride use.
    Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Xanthan and guar gum are derived from plants and are typically safe, even beneficial, according to some studies.
    Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • While a regional court in Cologne initially recognized four of Birkenstock’s shoe models as works of applied art and granted the company’s orders in 2017, a higher regional court in the city later overturned the orders on appeal in 2022.
    Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 21 Feb. 2025
  • In 1994, the applied mathematician Peter Shor was inspired by a recent oracle result to develop a fast quantum algorithm for factoring large numbers—a task whose apparent difficulty underlies the cryptographic systems that keep our online data secure.
    Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • While the games are only operable while the car is in park, that hasn’t stopped driving safety advocates from raising concerns.
    Kevin Williams, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The monument, a full-size formerly operable helicopter, is called the Cmdr.
    Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Useful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/useful. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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