uselessness

UK: /ˈjuːsləsnɪs/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

use•less /ˈyuslɪs/   adj. 

1. of no use;
   not serving the purpose or any purpose:
   useless information.
   [It + be + ~ + to + verb] :
   It was useless to complain.
2. without useful qualities;
   of no practical good:
   He's useless at solving problems.

use•less•ly, adv. 
use•less•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

use•less  (yo̅o̅s′lis), adj. 

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.

• use + -less 1585–95

use′less•ly, adv. 
use′less•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 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.

Antonyms

• 1. effective.