pointless

[ point-lis ]

See synonyms for pointless on Thesaurus.com

adjective

without a point: a pointless pen.
blunt, as an instrument.

without force, meaning, or relevance: a pointless remark.
without a point scored, as in a game: a pointless inning.

Origin of pointless

First recorded in 1300–50, pointless is from Middle English point les. See point, -less

Other words for pointless

3	meaningless, unproductive, futile, ineffectual

See synonyms for pointless on Thesaurus.com

Other words from pointless

point·less·ly, adverb
point·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pointless in a sentence

Daneri is using the Aleph to write a terrible poem that minutely and pointlessly describes everything on earth.
Is Dave Eggers’ ‘The Circle’ Our Generation’s ‘1984’? | Stefan Beck | October 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Run breathlessly and pointlessly after his mustachioed shadow?
Our Mega Fall 2013 Books Preview: 21 Must Reads | Lucas Wittmann, Jimmy So | September 5, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
A series of recent articles have pointlessly debated whether or not Israel can accurately be described as “an apartheid state.”
Show, Don't Tell: Why the Apartheid Analogy Falls Flat | Hussein Ibish | March 26, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
And it should not spend a dime to have those fears pointlessly increased.
An Utterly Useless Warning | Edward N. Luttwak | February 4, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
All the priceless things that had stood for more than the soft, idle and pointlessly shallow existence to which she'd been born.
The Women-Stealers of Thrayx | Fox B. Holden

Robust and artless, eminently natural, yet perfectly correct, he looked pointlessly active and pleasantly dull.
The Spoils of Poynton | Henry James
Ferguson sprinted back down the hill, the girl screaming pointlessly meanwhile.
The Best Short Stories of 1917 | Various
Carmen was pointlessly busy as she watched for the return of Jean Jacques.
The Money Master, Complete | Gilbert Parker
She wandered pointlessly from empty hall to silent drawing room.
V. V.'s Eyes | Henry Sydnor Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for pointless

pointless

/ (ˈpɔɪntlɪs) /

adjective

without a point
without meaning, relevance, or force

sport without a point scored

Derived forms of pointless

pointlessly, adverb
pointlessness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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