futile

adjective

fu·tile ˈfyü-tᵊl How to pronounce futile (audio)

ˈfyü-ˌtī(-ə)l How to pronounce futile (audio)

: serving no useful purpose : completely ineffective

efforts to convince him were futile

: occupied with trifles : frivolous

futilely

ˈfyü-tᵊl-(l)ē How to pronounce futile (audio)

-ˌtī(-ə)l-lē

adverb

futileness

ˈfyü-tᵊl-nəs How to pronounce futile (audio)

-ˌtī(-ə)l-nəs

noun

Did you know?

Futile broke into 16th-century English as a Latinate borrowing from Middle French. The Latin derivative, fūtilis, was used to describe things that are brittle or fragile and, by extension, things serving no purpose or being pointless. These meanings survive in the English futile, which denotes ineffectiveness or frivolousness. In 1827, English author Robert Southey found use for the word by blending it into utilitarian to form futilitarian, a word that is used for anyone who believes that human striving is futile—that is, ineffective and/or frivolous.

Example Sentences

In a digitized land of national ID cards, dropping out will be impossible, and dreaming about it will be futile.

Walter Kirn, Atlantic, May 2002 After Redemption and disfranchisement destroyed black political influence, open challenges to white supremacy were futile and dangerous.

Adam Fairclough, Journal of American History, June 2000 In some futile bid for gentility, the management has barred employees from using the front door, so my first day I enter through the kitchen …

Barbara Ehrenreich, Harper's, January 1999 In 1845 explorer Charles Sturt led an expedition through these parts on a futile search for an inland sea.

Thomas O'Neill, National Geographic, April 1997 All our efforts proved futile. a futile and foolish gesture See More

Recent Examples on the Web And yet, in the midst of futile attempts to grind out yardage on the ground, the game’s primal Cro-Magnon essence was fun to watch.

Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2022 For Honey Blu, an artist and a barista at Hot and Cool Cafe, expecting the media to fully cover the depth of Black L.A. is somewhat of a futile effort.

Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2022 Daulton Varsho made a futile attempt to scale the wall, the ball landing three rows deep in the sixth inning on Saturday night.

Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 25 June 2022 Carter was doing it in a futile attempt to appeal to voters in the midst of his unsuccessful re-election campaign.

Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2022 Moreover, even accurate predictions can be futile without a culture of flexibility that allows businesses to shift on the fly as dictated by the needs of their customers.

Shane Trigg, Forbes, 6 July 2022 To separate art from its historical framework is futile, and to reject it in an effort to censor past violence is a delusive act of virtue signaling.

WSJ, 5 July 2022 But resistance is futile in the tidal wave of glorious music and the company’s determination to send everyone home with an ecstatic smile.

Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022 In such cases, identifying and recapturing fugitives becomes a long, tiresome and, ultimately, futile exercise for weary cops.

Naveen Joshi, Forbes, 2 June 2022 See More

futile

adjective

as in unsuccessful

producing no results the prison is so well guarded that all attempts to escape have been futile

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

unsuccessful
useless
fruitless
unavailing
vain
ineffective
unprofitable
ineffectual
in vain
impossible
abortive
unproductive
profitless
worthless
insufficient
meaningless
pointless
inefficacious
inadequate
bootless
lost
barren
otiose
empty
valueless
not worth the candle
no dice
hopeless
hollow
of no avail
idle
counterproductive
unattainable
lacking
no-win
wanting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

successful
effective
efficient
fruitful
worthwhile
profitable
productive
deadly
meaningful
virtuous
sufficient
efficacious
potent
effectual
adequate
feasible
practical
workable
applicable
practicable
functional
usable
realizable
useable

as in silly

lacking in seriousness or maturity the futile chatter of gossip columnists about the comings and goings of Hollywood celebrities

Synonyms & Similar Words

silly
goofy
giddy
frivolous
foolish
puerile
playful
harebrained
inane
scatterbrained
ditzy
fatuous
nonsensical
happy
featherbrained
thoughtless
dizzy
frothy
light-minded
crazy
yeasty
flighty
superficial
ditsy
daft
light-headed
birdbrained
witless
shallow
flippant
exuberant
daffy
lighthearted
light
giggly
sappy
fruity
fluttery

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

serious
earnest
unfrivolous
sober
sombre
grave
melancholy
somber
heavy
thoughtful
severe
solemn
serious-minded
dignified
staid
sedate
no-nonsense

Synonym Chooser

The words fruitless and vain are common synonyms of futile. While all three words mean "producing no result," futile may connote completeness of failure or unwisdom of undertaking.

resistance had proved so futile that surrender was the only choice left

Fruitless comes close to vain but often suggests long and arduous effort or severe disappointment.

fruitless efforts to obtain a lasting peace

The words vain and futile can be used in similar contexts, but vain usually implies simple failure to achieve a desired result.

a vain attempt to get the car started

单词	futile
释义	futile adjective fu·tile ˈfyü-tᵊl ˈfyü-ˌtī(-ə)l 1 : serving no useful purpose : completely ineffective efforts to convince him were futile 2 : occupied with trifles : frivolous futilely ˈfyü-tᵊl-(l)ē -ˌtī(-ə)l-lē adverb futileness ˈfyü-tᵊl-nəs -ˌtī(-ə)l-nəs noun Did you know? Futile broke into 16th-century English as a Latinate borrowing from Middle French. The Latin derivative, fūtilis, was used to describe things that are brittle or fragile and, by extension, things serving no purpose or being pointless. These meanings survive in the English futile, which denotes ineffectiveness or frivolousness. In 1827, English author Robert Southey found use for the word by blending it into utilitarian to form futilitarian, a word that is used for anyone who believes that human striving is futile—that is, ineffective and/or frivolous. Synonyms abortive barren bootless empty fruitless ineffective ineffectual inefficacious otiose profitless unavailing unproductive unprofitable unsuccessful useless vain See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences In a digitized land of national ID cards, dropping out will be impossible, and dreaming about it will be futile. Walter Kirn, Atlantic, May 2002 After Redemption and disfranchisement destroyed black political influence, open challenges to white supremacy were futile and dangerous. Adam Fairclough, Journal of American History, June 2000 In some futile bid for gentility, the management has barred employees from using the front door, so my first day I enter through the kitchen … Barbara Ehrenreich, Harper's, January 1999 In 1845 explorer Charles Sturt led an expedition through these parts on a futile search for an inland sea. Thomas O'Neill, National Geographic, April 1997 All our efforts proved futile. a futile and foolish gesture See More Recent Examples on the Web And yet, in the midst of futile attempts to grind out yardage on the ground, the game’s primal Cro-Magnon essence was fun to watch. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2022 For Honey Blu, an artist and a barista at Hot and Cool Cafe, expecting the media to fully cover the depth of Black L.A. is somewhat of a futile effort. Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2022 Daulton Varsho made a futile attempt to scale the wall, the ball landing three rows deep in the sixth inning on Saturday night. Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 25 June 2022 Carter was doing it in a futile attempt to appeal to voters in the midst of his unsuccessful re-election campaign. Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2022 Moreover, even accurate predictions can be futile without a culture of flexibility that allows businesses to shift on the fly as dictated by the needs of their customers. Shane Trigg, Forbes, 6 July 2022 To separate art from its historical framework is futile, and to reject it in an effort to censor past violence is a delusive act of virtue signaling. WSJ, 5 July 2022 But resistance is futile in the tidal wave of glorious music and the company’s determination to send everyone home with an ecstatic smile. Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022 In such cases, identifying and recapturing fugitives becomes a long, tiresome and, ultimately, futile exercise for weary cops. Naveen Joshi, Forbes, 2 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin fūtilis, futtilis "brittle, fragile (of containers), serving no purpose, pointless," perhaps (if original sense was "leaky") from fū- (going back to Indo-European ǵ^heu̯- "pour, shed") + -tilis* "obtained by, characterized by (the action of the verb)" — more at found entry 5 First Known Use circa 1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition futile adjective fu·tile ˈfyü-tᵊl : having no result or effect Their efforts to win were futile. futile adjective 1 as in unsuccessful producing no results the prison is so well guarded that all attempts to escape have been futile Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance unsuccessful useless fruitless unavailing vain ineffective unprofitable ineffectual in vain impossible abortive unproductive profitless worthless insufficient meaningless pointless inefficacious inadequate bootless lost barren otiose empty valueless not worth the candle no dice hopeless hollow of no avail idle counterproductive unattainable lacking no-win wanting Antonyms & Near Antonyms successful effective efficient fruitful worthwhile profitable productive deadly meaningful virtuous sufficient efficacious potent effectual adequate feasible practical workable applicable practicable functional usable realizable useable See More 2 as in silly lacking in seriousness or maturity the futile chatter of gossip columnists about the comings and goings of Hollywood celebrities Synonyms & Similar Words silly goofy giddy frivolous foolish puerile playful harebrained inane scatterbrained ditzy fatuous nonsensical happy featherbrained thoughtless dizzy frothy light-minded crazy yeasty flighty superficial ditsy daft light-headed birdbrained witless shallow flippant exuberant daffy lighthearted light giggly sappy fruity fluttery Antonyms & Near Antonyms serious earnest unfrivolous sober sombre grave melancholy somber heavy thoughtful severe solemn serious-minded dignified staid sedate no-nonsense See More Synonym Chooser The words fruitless and vain are common synonyms of futile. While all three words mean "producing no result," futile may connote completeness of failure or unwisdom of undertaking. resistance had proved so futile that surrender was the only choice left Fruitless comes close to vain but often suggests long and arduous effort or severe disappointment. fruitless efforts to obtain a lasting peace The words vain and futile can be used in similar contexts, but vain usually implies simple failure to achieve a desired result. a vain attempt to get the car started
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futile

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

adjective

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