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fruitless

[froot-lis]

Example Sentences Origin

adjective

useless; unproductive; without results or success: a fruitless search for the missing treasure.

bearing no fruit; barren.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English; see fruit, -less

Related forms

fruit·less·ly, adverb

fruit·less·ness, noun

Synonyms
1. futile, unavailing, vain. 2. sterile.

Antonyms
1. useful, profitable. 2. fertile.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Fruitless is always a great word to know.

So is ort. Does it mean:

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

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Example Sentences

Their view was mostly from behind, in fruitless pursuit.

Yet it had not used those capacities to set men and women free of fruitless toil.

Protests that the evidence against him was flawed proved fruitless.

EXPAND

Their view was mostly from behind, in fruitless pursuit.

Yet it had not used those capacities to set men and women free of fruitless toil.

Protests that the evidence against him was flawed proved fruitless.

So once a male cougar sets off from the hills, he is likely to keep moving in a fruitless search for a mate.

Often those lines of reasoning that seem promising to one expert look obviously fruitless to another.

It was this nostalgia that sent me on a short and nearly fruitless search for the original theatrical release to show the kids.

But his career fizzled with a succession of fruitless auditions, dwindling freelance gigs and mounting debt.

One cannot help but wonder why he wastes his time on such a meaningless and fruitless endeavor.

The geographers have not only been there and done that, they have given it up as a fruitless enterprise and moved on.

Initially, the crew tried to carry out this operation by helicopter, but two efforts were fruitless.

The amount of likely fruitless speculations is downright depressing.

I've gone on some fruitless adventures into the abyss.

Many if not all of these behaviors are controlled by specific genes, chiefly two known as fruitless and dissatisfaction.

She does insinuate that a writer without the true gift of writing is left fruitless and unproductive.

The pursuit of socialist equality by spending had proved as fruitless as by common ownership.

The majority of the sighs occurred in the breaks between fruitless attempts at solving the puzzles.

Which means honest-to-goodness energy weapons might actually become a military reality, after decades of fruitless searching.

Efforts were made to run the vessel on the bank but it proved fruitless.

Which is why discussions about these things are usually fruitless.

Messing with the cycle will be fruitless at best and destructive at worst.

The reason became clear over decades of fervent and often fruitless science:.

But the negative findings suggest it is time to rein in this fruitless quest.

Just another scenario in the fruitless destruction of a political invention.

Arguing on this site about evolution and creationism is fruitless.

And his brief stab at profiting from his hobby by charging a subscription fee proved fruitless.

After making fruitless calls to the police, she discovers that the intended victim is herself.

Teaching disease avoidance techniques is almost fruitless if the student is oblivious to basic germ-theory.

These processes seemed to end in fruitless standoffs, sometimes acrimonious ones.

The endless striving for improvement was made to seem hollow, fruitless.

For me, though, arguing with such a person seems fruitless.

The new finding casts serious doubt on another theory that had complicated the so far fruitless investigation:.

But forbitting research and development is in my view both counterproductive and fruitless.

He went through a long, fruitless battle to take his name.

Attempts to eliminate social gap and income gap are fruitless because no one can eliminate the natural order of things.

The millions of dollars being spent on fruitless enforcement could be used instead to address abuse and addiction problems.

Too much money is spent on fruitless attempts to stop the production of illicit drugs.

Some have undergone fruitless diagnostic workups and referrals.

Confidential,” his team spoke with former soldiers who were involved in the fruitless hunt for weapons of.

But after many fruitless appeals, he recently won a round in court.

Advice to dine early in order to miss the crowd would be fruitless.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

fruitless (ˈfruːtlɪs)

—*adj*
1.	yielding nothing or nothing of value; unproductive; ineffectual
2.	without fruit

'fruitlessly

—*adv*

'fruitlessness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

fruitless

mid-14c., from fruit + -less. Related: Fruitlessly.

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Related Words

useless conciliate horse ineffectual

ineffectual plentiful sterile

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"Fruitless striving breeds less despair than inaction."

-Mason Cooley

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