Synonym Chooser

How is the word fruitless different from other adjectives like it?

The words futile and vain are common synonyms of fruitless. While all three words mean "producing no result," fruitless comes close to vain but often suggests long and arduous effort or severe disappointment.

fruitless efforts to obtain a lasting peace

When might futile be a better fit than fruitless?

The words futile and fruitless are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, futile may connote completeness of failure or unwisdom of undertaking.

resistance had proved so futile that surrender was the only choice left

When can vain be used instead of fruitless?

The words vain and fruitless can be used in similar contexts, but vain usually implies simple failure to achieve a desired result.

a vain attempt to get the car started

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fruitless But his effort quickly proved fruitless and ill-advised: the entire neighborhood was rushing to evacuate around him. Robin Pogrebin, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 Unlike Sisyphus, though, Ben’s work wasn’t fruitless. Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2024 Many problems require long periods of sustained and seemingly fruitless effort. Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 31 Dec. 2024 And what happened is that after a very, very long fruitless casting process, I was introduced to Zoe and Karla Sofía in the same range of time. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for fruitless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fruitless
Adjective
  • Stephanie played her shot in the dark (a 1 in 6 chance at safety in exchange for a vote), but was unsuccessful and the 38-year-old tech product lead living in Brooklyn was the first person to be voted out of Season 48.
    Emily DeLetter, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
  • While the administration's efforts to slash the size of the federal government are embroiled in various lawsuits, court challenges to halt the shutdown of USAID have been unsuccessful so far.
    GARY FIELDS AND ELLEN KNICKMEYER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Such descriptions enliven the book, and capture Shubin’s reverence for both the beauty and the mysteries hidden in the cold, barren tundra.
    The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
  • For most of its barren interior, life is an afterthought—nature’s great white void, frozen in time.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • For Alok Bansal, a newspaper columnist, the exercise is futile – and threatens to deepen divisions.
    Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Challenging the law again was futile until 2023 when progressives retook a 4–3 majority on the court.
    The Editors, National Review, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Given this political trend, Sanders has made a terrific-looking but sterile movie.
    Armond White, National Review, 26 Feb. 2025
  • Surrounded by a blank white glare, Amato would open sterile metal tubes to capture the mist.
    Carl Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Those assets are useless on a device like the Deck, and take up unnecessary space.
    Jason Evangelho, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
  • In stereotypical rich-TV-family fashion, the ultimate symbol of Baba’s success is that both of his sons are sort of useless.
    Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • After a brief and unfruitful stint as a scout for the major league Milwaukee Brewers in the early 1970s, Uecker moved to the radio booth.
    Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Some new grads have expressed frustration with lengthy and unfruitful job searches and questioned whether their work earning a degree was worth it.
    Jamie Merisotis, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fruitless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fruitless. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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