What is another word for futile?
Synonyms for futile
ˈfyut l, ˈfyu taɪlfu·tile
This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word futile.
Wiktionary
futileadjective
Synonyms:
ineffectual, fruitless, vain, unavailing, idlefutileadjective
Incapable of producing results; useless; not successful; not worth attempting.
Synonyms:
idle, unavailing, vain, fruitless, ineffectual
English Synonyms and Antonyms
futile
Vain (Latin vanus, empty) keeps the etymological idea through all changes of meaning; a vain endeavor is empty of result, or of adequate power to produce a result, a vain pretension is empty or destitute of support, a vain person has a conceit that is empty or destitute of adequate cause or reason. That which is bootless, fruitless, or profitless fails to accomplish any valuable result; that which is abortive, ineffectual, or unavailing fails to accomplish a result that it was, or was supposed to be, adapted to accomplish. That which is useless, futile, or vain is inherently incapable of accomplishing a specified result. Useless, in the widest sense, signifies not of use for any valuable purpose, and is thus closely similar to valueless and worthless. Fruitless is more final than ineffectual, as applying to the sum or harvest of endeavor. That which is useless lacks actual fitness for a purpose; that which is vain lacks imaginable fitness. Compare VACANT; OSTENTATION; PRIDE.
Compare synonyms for UTILITY.
Synonyms:
abortive, baseless, bootless, deceitful, delusive, empty, fruitless, idle, inconstant, ineffectual, nugatory, null, profitless, shadowy, trifling, trivial, unavailing, unimportant, unprofitable, unreal, unsatisfying, unserviceable, unsubstantial, useless, vain, vapid, visionary, worthlessAntonyms:
adequate, advantageous, beneficial, competent, effective, efficient, expedient, potent, powerful, profitable, real, serviceable, solid, sound, substantial, sufficient, useful, valid, valuable, worthy
Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
futile
Synonyms:
weak, ineffective, useless, nugatory, unavailing, vain, triflingAntonyms:
powerful, effective, cogent, useful, solid, substantial
Princeton's WordNet
futile, ineffectual, otiose, unavailingadjective
producing no result or effect
"a futile effort"; "the therapy was ineffectual"; "an otiose undertaking"; "an unavailing attempt"
Synonyms:
senseless, ineffectual, bootless, work-shy, otiose, vain, purposeless, slothful, superfluous, unavailing, sleeveless, indolent, uneffective, faineant, pointless, wasted, unable, lazy, ineffective, fruitlessAntonyms:
useful, utile, productivebootless, fruitless, futile, sleeveless, vainadjective
unproductive of success
"a fruitless search"; "futile years after her artistic peak"; "a sleeveless errand"; "a vain attempt"
Synonyms:
unavailing, otiose, self-conceited, fruitless, egotistic, vain, conceited, swollen-headed, swollen, bootless, ineffectual, egotistical, sleevelessAntonyms:
useful, utile, productive
Dictionary of English Synonymes
Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words
futileadjective
Synonyms:
vain, bootless, ineffectual, unavailing, abortive, useless
PPDB, the paraphrase database
List of paraphrases for "futile":
useless, pointless, vain, fruitless, frivolous, sterile, unnecessary, trivial, meaningless, unhelpful, worthless, unsuccessful, senseless, needless, unproductive
Words popularity by usage frequency
ranking | word | |
---|---|---|
#2578 | null | |
#2964 | empty | |
#3646 | unable | |
#4981 | weak | |
#9013 | idle | |
#9125 | lazy | |
#9462 | unnecessary | |
#10226 | useless | |
#12442 | wasted | |
#12556 | trivial | |
#13230 | unreal | |
#15690 | vain | |
#17103 | unsuccessful | |
#17218 | ineffective | |
#17350 | needless | |
#17502 | sterile | |
#18270 | pointless | |
#19590 | visionary | |
#19887 | meaningless | |
#20769 | worthless | |
#21156 | swollen | |
#22525 | sleeveless | |
#24369 | unhelpful | |
#26975 | futile | |
#30439 | frivolous | |
#32026 | unimportant | |
#35057 | senseless | |
#35699 | superfluous | |
#38689 | shadowy | |
#48116 | fruitless | |
#48348 | unproductive | |
#55524 | deceitful | |
#55539 | unprofitable | |
#60134 | baseless | |
#61666 | ineffectual | |
#64373 | egotistical | |
#67211 | conceited | |
#69037 | trifling | |
#72180 | abortive | |
#80300 | indolent | |
#90731 | unsatisfying | |
#94014 | vapid | |
#109464 | unavailing | |
#114767 | slothful | |
#131299 | unserviceable | |
#146779 | inconstant | |
#148311 | purposeless | |
#203636 | delusive | |
#236805 | egotistic | |
#244598 | unsubstantial | |
#245515 | nugatory | |
#291737 | profitless |
How to use futile in a sentence?
Lankov, an expert at Korea Risk Group, said. U.S. diplomats here and across the world are working to rein in the North Korean regime. But Lankov, also a professor at Seoul’s Kookmin University, said their efforts could be futile. Pohang, South Korea on Sept. 12, 2017. Experts say North Korea leader Kim Jong Un wants to have the capability of carrying out a major attack. ( Fox News) ‘ I don’t think there is, unfortunately, any way to stop them.
The how thinker gets problems solved effectively because he wastes no time with futile ifs.
We know life is futile. A man who considers that his life is of very wonderful importance is awfully close to a padded cell.
Constitutional development must be built on the basis of the Basic Law and the decision of (China's) NPCSC (National People's Congress Standing Committee), otherwise it would only be futile and impractical and the aim of universal suffrage for the CE (Chief Executive) election would only become a 'castle in the air'.
It could be that they are realising interventions are futile - there is no point throwing good money after bad - and letting the currency weaken a little bit.
Translations for futile
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- عَقيمArabic
- fútilCatalan, Valencian
- jalovýCzech
- nytteløsDanish
- vergeblich, sinnlosGerman
- μάταιοςGreek
- fútil, inútilSpanish
- پوچ, بى فايده, عبثPersian
- toivoton, tulokseton, turhaFinnish
- nyttuleysurFaroese
- futileFrench
- faoin, dìomhainScottish Gaelic
- fútilGalician
- futileItalian
- עקרHebrew
- 無駄, 無用, 無益Japanese
- ფუჭიGeorgian
- អសារKhmer
- 효과 없는Korean
- futile, futilisLatin
- အလဟဿဖြစ်သော, အချည်းနှီးဖြစ်သောBurmese
- nutteloosDutch
- chʼééhNavajo, Navaho
- futilOccitan
- daremnyPolish
- fútilPortuguese
- тщетный, бесполезный, напрасный, бесплодныйRussian
- nepatrný, zbytočný, márnySlovak
- meningslös, lönlös, fåfängSwedish
- ไร้ประโยชน์Thai
- марноUkrainian
- vô íchVietnamese
- 无用Chinese
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"futile." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/futile>.
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