Synonyms for useless
ˈyus lɪsuse·less

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. uselessadjective

   Antonyms:
   useful, skillful

2. uselessadjective

   This fork has prongs that are bent. It's useless now.

   Antonyms:
   skillful, useful

3. uselessadjective

   Antonyms:
   useful, skillful

4. uselessadjective

   good-for-nothing; not dependable.

   Bill never mows the lawn, takes out the trash or anything. He's useless, but I love him anyways.

   Synonyms:
   good-for-nothing

   Antonyms:
   skillful, useful

5. uselessadjective

   unable to do well at a particular task or thing. Useless is mildly insulting.

   Synonyms:
   unskillful

   Antonyms:
   skillful, useful

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. useless

   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, futile, idle, inconstant, ineffectual, nugatory, null, profitless, shadowy, trifling, trivial, unavailing, unimportant, unprofitable, unreal, unsatisfying, unserviceable, unsubstantial, vain, vapid, visionary, worthless

   Antonyms:
   adequate, advantageous, beneficial, competent, effective, efficient, expedient, potent, powerful, profitable, real, serviceable, solid, sound, substantial, sufficient, useful, valid, valuable, worthy

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. uselessadjective

   having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully

   "a kitchen full of useless gadgets"; "she is useless in an emergency"

   Antonyms:
   useful, recyclable, utilizable, reusable, utile, utilitarian, useable, serviceable, usable, reclaimable, multipurpose

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. uselessadjective

   Synonyms:
   unavailing, fruitless, bootless, profitless, unprofitable, unserviceable, valueless, worthless, futile, abortive, null, nugatory, of no use

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. uselessadjective

   Synonyms:
   unserviceable, futile, worthless, unavailing, bootless, ineffectual, null, nugatory, abortive

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "useless":

   pointless, unnecessary, futile, worthless, unhelpful, needless, unusable, meaningless, unserviceable, fruitless, superfluous, vain, good-for-nothing, ineffective, senseless, ineffectual, wasteful

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How to use useless in a sentence?

1. John Adams:

   In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.

2. Susan Bibeau:

   No words can express the sadness we are feeling at this time, we are so sad that a man lost his life. He has lost everything and he leaves behind a family that must feel nothing but pain and sorrow. We send our deepest condolences to them although words seem pretty useless. We are both crying for them.

3. Klemens Von Metternich:

   It is useless to close the gates against ideas; they overlap them.

4. Niccolo Machiavelli:

   There are three classes of intellects one which comprehends by itself another which appreciates what others comprehend and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others the first is the most excellent, the second is good, and the third is useless.

5. George Santayana, Life of Reason (1905) vol. 4, ch. 4:

   Music is essentially useless, as life is: but both have an ideal extension which lends utility to its conditions.