useless

adjective

Unhelpful, not useful; pointless (of an action).

Without use or the possibility to be used.

(derogatory, of a person) Good-for-nothing; not dependable.

(colloquial, somewhat derogatory) Of a person, Unable to do well at a particular task or endeavor.

Roots

utorus- · Latin · use

Synonyms & related words for useless

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of useless — including inutile, worthless, pointless, nugatory, unavailing, ineffectual. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to useless

Explore words related to useless — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include valueless, worthlessly, losel, otiose, unremunerative, unhelpful, otiosely, bootlessness. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for useless

Common synonyms for useless include inutile, worthless, pointless, nugatory, unavailing, ineffectual, ineffective, futile — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does useless come from?

The word useless breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root us-, from Latin utor (“use”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.