Word Study
useless
CIDE DICTIONARY
useless, a.
Having, or being of, no use; unserviceable; producing no good end; answering no valuable purpose; not advancing the end proposed; unprofitable; ineffectual; as, a useless garment; useless pity. [1913 Webster]
"Not to sit idle with so great a gift
Useless, and thence ridiculous." [1913 Webster]
Useless, and thence ridiculous." [1913 Webster]
"Useless are all words
Till you have writ “performance” with your swords.
The other is for waiving." [1913 Webster]
Till you have writ “performance” with your swords.
The other is for waiving." [1913 Webster]
"Waiving all searches into antiquity, in relation to this controversy, as being either needless or fruitless." [1913 Webster]
"Even our blessed Savior's preaching, who spake as never man spake, was ineffectual to many." [1913 Webster]
Syn. -- Fruitless; ineffectual.
OXFORD DICTIONARY
useless, adj.
1 serving no purpose; unavailing (the contents were made useless by damp; protest is useless).
2 colloq. feeble or ineffectual (am useless at swimming).
1 serving no purpose; unavailing (the contents were made useless by damp; protest is useless).
2 colloq. feeble or ineffectual (am useless at swimming).
Derivative
uselessly adv. uselessness n.
THESAURUS
useless
abortive, aimless, barren, bootless, counterproductive, deleterious, detrimental, disadvantageous, disserviceable, effete, empty, etiolated, failed, failing, fatuitous, fatuous, feckless, fruitless, fustian, futile, good-for-nothing, harmful, hopeless, idle, impotent, impracticable, impractical, inadequate, inane, incompetent, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, inefficient, inept, injurious, inoperative, inutile, invalid, lame, manque, meaningless, miscarried, miscarrying, no go, nonfunctional, nugacious, nugatory, of no effect, of no force, of no use, pointless, prejudicial, purposeless, sterile, stickit, stillborn, successless, superfluous, unadvantageous, unavailable, unavailing, unfavorable, unfortunate, unpractical, unproductive, unprofitable, unpurposed, unrewarding, unserviceable, unsuccessful, unusable, unworkable, vain, worthlessROGET THESAURUS
useless
Inutility
N inutility, uselessness, inefficacy, futility, ineptitude, inaptitude, unsubservience, inadequacy, inefficiency, unskillfulness, disservice, unfruitfulness (unproductiveness), labor in vain, labor lost, labor of Sisyphus, lost trouble, lost labor, work of Penelope, sleeveless errand, wild goose chase, mere farce, tautology, supererogation, vanitas vanitatum, vanity, inanity, worthlessness, nugacity, triviality, caput mortuum, waste paper, dead letter, blunt tool, litter, rubbish, junk, lumber, odds and ends, cast-off clothes, button top, shoddy, rags, orts, trash, refuse, sweepings, scourings, offscourings, waste, rubble, debris, detritus, stubble, leavings, broken meat, dregs, weeds, tares, rubbish heap, dust hole, rudera, deads, fruges consumere natus, useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootless, inoperative, inadequate, inservient, unsubservient, inept, inefficient, of no avail, ineffectual, incompetent, stale, flat and unprofitable, superfluous, dispensable, thrown away, abortive, worthless, valueless, priceless, unsalable, not worth a straw, dear at any price, vain, empty, inane, gainless, profitless, fruitless, unserviceable, unprofitable, ill-spent, unproductive, hors de combat, effete, past work, obsolete, fit for the dust hole, good for nothing, of no earthly use, not worth having, not worth powder and shot, leading to no end, uncalled for, unnecessary, unneeded, uselessly, to little purpose, to no purpose, to little or no purpose, Int, cui bono?, what's the good!, actum ne agas, chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin, tanto buon che val niente.Worthlessness
N worthlessness, valuelessness, lack of value, uselessness, cheapness, shoddiness, low quality, poor quality, trash, garbage, worthless, valueless, useless, cheap, shoddy, slapdash, inexpensive, not worth the paper it's printed on, not worth a sou.Folly
N imbecility folly, want of intelligence &c, want of intellect, shadowness, silliness, foolishness, imbecility, incapacity, vacancy of mind, poverty of intellect, weakness of intellect, clouded perception, poor head, apartments to let, stupidity, stolidity, hebetude, dull understanding, meanest capacity, shortsightedness, incompetence, one's weak side, not one's strong point, bias, infatuation, simplicity, puerility, babyhood, dotage, anility, second childishness, fatuity, idiocy, idiotism, driveling, folly, frivolity, irrationality, trifling, ineptitude, nugacity, inconsistency, lip wisdom, conceit, sophistry, giddiness, eccentricity, extravagance, rashness, act of folly, unintelligent, unintellectual, unreasoning, mindless, witless, reasoningless, brainless, halfbaked, having no head, not bright, inapprehensible, weak headed, addle headed, puzzle headed, blunder headed, muddle headed, muddy headed, pig headed, beetle headed, buffle headed, chuckle headed, mutton headed, maggoty headed, grossheaded, beef headed, fat witted, fat-headed, weak-minded, feeble-minded, dull minded, shallow minded, lack- brained, rattle-brained, rattle headed, half witted, lean witted, short witted, dull witted, blunt-witted, shallow-pated, clod-pated, addle- pated, addle-brained, dim-sighted, short-sighted, thick-skulled, weak in the upper story, shallow, borne, weak, wanting, soft, sappy, spoony, dull, dull as a beetle, stupid, heavy, insulse, obtuse, blunt, stolid, doltish, asinine, inapt, prosaic, hebetudinous, childish, child-like, infantine, infantile, babyish, babish, puerile, anile, simple, old-womanish, fatuous, idiotic, imbecile, driveling, blatant, babbling, vacant, sottish, bewildered, blockish, unteachable Boeotian, Boeotic, bovine, ungifted, undiscerning, unenlightened, unwise, unphilosophical, apish, simious, foolish, silly, senseless, irrational, insensate, nonsensical, inept, maudlin, narrow-minded, bigoted, giddy, rash, eccentric, foolish, unwise, injudicious, improper, unreasonable, without reason, ridiculous, absurd, idiotic, silly, stupid, asinine, ill-imagined, ill-advised, ill-judged, ill-devised, mal entendu, inconsistent, irrational, unphilosophical, extravagant, sleeveless, idle, pointless, useless, inexpedient, frivolous, Davus sum non, a fool's bolt is soon shot clitellae bovi sunt im, fools rush in where angels fear to tread, il n' a ni bouche ni eperon, the bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, to varnish nonsense with the charms of sound.For further exploring for "useless" in Webster Dictionary Online