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uselessness

 - 2 dictionary results

use⋅less

[yoos-lis]
–adjective
1. of no use; not serving the purpose or any purpose; unavailing or futile: It is useless to reason with him.
2. without useful qualities; of no practical good: a useless person; a useless gadget.

Origin:
1585–95; use + -less


use⋅less⋅ly, adverb
use⋅less⋅ness, noun


1. fruitless, profitless, valueless, worthless, inutile. Useless, futile, ineffectual, vain refer to that which is unavailing. That is useless which is unavailing because of the circumstances of the case or some inherent defect: It is useless to cry over spilt milk. Futile suggests wasted effort and complete failure to attain a desired end: All attempts were futile. That which is ineffectual weakly applies energy in an ill-advised way and does not produce a desired effect: an ineffectual effort. That which is vain is fruitless or hopeless even after all possible effort: It is vain to keep on hoping. 2. unserviceable, unusable.


1. effective.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To uselessness
use·less   (yōōs'lĭs)   
adj.  
  1. Being or having no beneficial use; futile or ineffective.

  2. Incapable of functioning or assisting; ineffectual: He panics easily and is useless in an emergency. See Synonyms at futile.

use'less·ly adv., use'less·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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