futilely

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.

Ondro likens his guilt-racked migrations to the story of Jonah, who tried futilely to run from God’s message to him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

The interior design may be a touch too avant-garde, but perhaps Aunt Julie was futilely trying to impress Hedda.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

Fall River is one of those northern post-industrial cities that’s been futilely trying to reverse decline for decades, first by bulldozing historic neighborhoods to build highways, and now by constructing breweries and farmer’s markets.

From Salon • Dec. 24, 2025

Some scampered futilely on the treadmill as they did so, but others remained still.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 1, 2023

Instead of futilely attacking the Klan from the outside, what if he could somehow unleash all the secret inside information that John Brown was gathering from the Klan’s weekly meetings?

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt