futile

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.

Attempts to reverse course will likely prove futile — while enabling foreign competitors and unscrupulous individuals and groups to shape the economy in ways that undermine U.S. interests and values.

From MarketWatch

Potts was asked to bowl one more futile spell of bouncers, with the maddening Smith playing tennis-style smashes and signalling a wide to the umpires.

From BBC

As their perilous and ultimately futile journey continues, Ishmaelle and the monk become closer, somehow finding the words to speak to each other across the ocean of linguistic difference between English and Chinese.

From Los Angeles Times

There was enough hope in everyday life to hold onto, and the starry-eyed vision of the future made the rapture’s fearmongering futile.

From Salon

Avuncular and experienced, he advises her to be more likable, which seems futile, because everyone she meets quickly gets exasperated by her combination of earnest idealism and hall-monitor insistence.

From The Wall Street Journal