ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Futile

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈfjuː.taɪl/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Futile is an adjective meaning Incapable of producing results, useless; doomed not to be successful; not worth attempting.

Meaning

Incapable of producing results, useless; doomed not to be successful; not worth attempting.

More Meanings

  1. Insignificant; frivolous.

Example Sentences

Of its history little is recorded, and that little futile.
He wished he had not been saddled with Whippham's rather futile son as his chaplain.
He seemed hitherto to have been living by proxy, in a vision, in reflection—to have been an echo, a shadow, a futile attempt;[…]
Goals from Steven Pienaar, Andros Townsend, Jermain Defoe and Harry Kane sealed the win, but Rubin Kazan's 1-1 draw against PAOK Salonika rendered Spurs' efforts futile.

Synonyms for futile

Depending on context, synonyms include useless, bootless, barren, fruitless, gainless, idle.

Antonyms for futile

Common opposites include effectual, effective, fruitful, worthwhile, profitable, productive.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include useless, ineffectual, unproductive, otiose, unavailing, fruitless.

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.