useless

[yoos-lis] / ˈyus lɪs /

ADJECTIVE

not working; not valuable

Synonyms

STRONGEST

counterproductive fruitless futile hopeless idle impractical incompetent ineffective ineffectual inoperative meaningless no good pointless stupid unproductive unworkable worthless

WEAK

abortive bootless disadvantageous dysfunctional expendable feckless good-for-nothing impracticable inept inutile nonfunctional of no use profitless purposeless scrap unavailable unavailing unfunctional unprofitable unpurposed unusuable vain valueless waste weak

Antonyms

STRONGEST

effective fruitful hopeful meaningful productive profitable sensible useful valuable worthwhile

WEAK

helpful usable working

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I am also useless at accepting gifts or invitations - even ones like that - and we never took that trip to Barca.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

“Over the years, millions of dollars in unused miles and points have been rendered useless due to airline shutdowns,” said McGee.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

I’ve seen too many parents of friends and family find out their long-term care plans are basically useless, which is why I am not interested in long-term care insurance.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

Diminishing the hurt from people who have been directly affected by gun violence is a useless, cruel task.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

Slightly submerged, it was now so close to the enemy ship that the Housatonic’s twelve cannons were useless.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Vocabulary lists containing useless

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