Word Meanings - USELESS - Book Publishers vocabulary database

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. Not to sit idle with so great a gift Useless,

Additional info about word: USELESS

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. Not to sit idle with so great a gift Useless, and thence ridiculous. Milton. Syn. -- Fruitless; ineffectual. -- Useless, Fruitless, Ineffectual. We speak of an attempt, effort, etc., as being useless when there are in it inherent difficulties which forbid the hope of success, as fruitless when it fails, not from any such difficulties, but from some unexpected hindrance arising to frustrate it; as, the design was rendered fruitless by the death of its projector. Ineffectual nearly resembles fruitless, but implies a failure of a less hopeless character; as, after several ineffectual efforts, I at last succeeded. Useless are all words Till you have writ "performance" with your swords. The other is for waiving. Beau. & Fl. Waiving all searches into antiquity, in relation to this controversy, as being either needless or fruitless. Waterland. Even our blessed Savior's preaching, who spake as never man spake, was ineffectual to many. Bp. Stillingfleet. -- Use"less*ly, adv. -- Use"less*ness, n.

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of USELESS)

• Bootless
• Useless
• profitless
• unavailing
• abortive
• Futile
• Weak
• ineffective
• useless
• nugatory
• vain
• trifling
• Idle
• Void
• unoccupied
• waste
• empty
• unemployed
• inactive
• lazy
• indolent
• Impotent
• powerless
• feeble
• helpless
• nerveless
• enfeebled
• Needless
• Unnecessary
• superfluous
• gratuitous

Related words: (words related to USELESS)

• UNEMPLOYMENT
  Quality or state of being not employed; -- used esp. in economics, of the condition of various social classes when temporarily thrown out of employment, as those engaged for short periods, those whose trade is decaying, and those least competent.
• WASTEL
  A kind of white and fine bread or cake; -- called also wastel bread, and wastel cake. Roasted flesh or milk and wasted bread. Chaucer. The simnel bread and wastel cakes, which were only used at the tables of the highest nobility. Sir W. Scott.
• FUTILELY
  In a futile manner.
• BOOTLESS
  Unavailing; unprofitable; useless; without advantage or success. Chaucer. I'll follow him no more with bootless prayers. Shak. -- Boot"less*ly, adv. -- Boot"less*ness, n.
• TRIFLE
  trifle, probably the same word as F. truffe truffle, the word being 1. A thing of very little value or importance; a paltry, or trivial, affair. With such poor trifles playing. Drayton. Trifles light as air Are to the jealous confirmation strong
• WASTETHRIFT
  A spendthrift.
• NEEDLESS
  1. Having no need. Weeping into the needless stream. Shak. 2. Not wanted; unnecessary; not requiste; as, needless labor; needless expenses. 3. Without sufficient cause; groundless; cuseless. "Needless jealousy." Shak. -- Need"less*ly,
• WASTEBOARD
  See 3
• ABORTIVE
  Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile; as, an abortive organ, stamen, ovule, etc. Causing abortion; as, abortive medicines. Parr. Cutting short; as, abortive treatment of typhoid fever. (more info) 1. Produced by abortion; born
• NERVELESSNESS
  The state of being nerveless.
• NUGATORY
  1. Trifling; vain; futile; insignificant. 2. Of no force; inoperative; ineffectual. If all are pardoned, and pardoned as a mere act of clemency, the very substance of government is made nugatory. I. Taylor.
• ENFEEBLISH
  To enfeeble. Holland.
• INEFFECTIVENESS
  Quality of being ineffective.
• UNEMPLOYED
  1. Nor employed in manual or other labor; having no regular work. 2. Not invested or used; as, unemployed capital.
• ENFEEBLER
  One who, or that which, weakens or makes feeble.
• FEEBLENESS
  The quality or condition of being feeble; debility; infirmity. That shakes for age and feebleness. Shak.
• NERVELESS
  1. Destitute of nerves. 2. Destitute of strength or of courage; wanting vigor; weak; powerless. A kingless people for a nerveless state. Byron. Awaking, all nerveless, from an ugly dream. Hawthorne.
• WASTE
  the kindred German word; cf. OHG. wuosti, G. wüst, OS. w, D. woest, 1. Desolate; devastated; stripped; bare; hence, dreary; dismal; gloomy; cheerless. The dismal situation waste and wild. Milton. His heart became appalled as he gazed forward into
• TRIFLORAL; TRIFLOROUS
  Three-flowered; having or bearing three flowers; as, a triflorous peduncle.
• HELPLESS
  1. Destitute of help or strength; unable to help or defend one's self; needing help; feeble; weak; as, a helpless infant. How shall I then your helpless fame defend Pope. 2. Beyond help; irremediable. Some helpless disagreement or dislike, either
• ALKALI WASTE
  Waste material from the manufacture of alkali; specif., soda waste.
• OVERWASTED
  Wasted or worn out; Drayton.
• FOREWASTE
  See GASCOIGNE
• FORCIBLE-FEEBLE
  Seemingly vigorous, but really weak or insipid. He would purge his book of much offensive matter, if he struck out epithets which are in the bad taste of the forcible-feeble school. N. Brit. Review. (more info) Part of Shakespeare's "King Henry