WordValefutile
incapable of producing a useful result
In more detail
1. (adjective) producing no useful result; unsuccessful or pointless
2. (adjective) unlikely to succeed or have any effect
Examples
- 1. Their efforts to save the company proved futile when it went bankrupt anyway.
- 2. It seemed futile to argue with someone who had already made up their mind.
How to use futile
Futile emphasizes that an action or effort is completely unsuccessful and will remain so, often with a sense of resignation or inevitability. It is slightly more formal than useless and conveys not just current failure but the hopelessness of future attempts. It often appears in descriptions of past actions or warnings about future endeavors.
Common phrases
- futile attempt
- futile effort
- futile search
- futile exercise
- prove futile
- futile gesture
Synonyms
fruitless · pointless · useless · vain · ineffectual
Opposites
productive · successful · worthwhile
Word family
futility (noun) · futilely (adverb)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use futile to mean merely difficult or unlikely to succeed, when it actually means entirely pointless or certain to fail.
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