1
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
the prison is so well guarded that all attempts to escape have been futile
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silly
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the futile chatter of gossip columnists about the comings and goings of Hollywood celebrities
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of futile
Any reconstruction effort would be futile if a fragile ceasefire in Gaza fails, plunging the territory back to war.
—
Mostafa Salem, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
Since kids learn by example, Winston notes that telling kids to put down their phones is futile if parents don’t do the same.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 10 Feb. 2025
And what this ultimately means is that anti-aging work focusing on scrubbing a cell of methylation markers may be futile.
—New Atlas, 2 Feb. 2025
The intrigue: The episode offers some insight into how Trump 2.0 thinks about tariffs — and why attempts to model trade war economic impacts might be futile.
—Courtenay Brown, Axios, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
Mostafa Salem, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
Since kids learn by example, Winston notes that telling kids to put down their phones is futile if parents don’t do the same.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 10 Feb. 2025
And what this ultimately means is that anti-aging work focusing on scrubbing a cell of methylation markers may be futile.
—New Atlas, 2 Feb. 2025
The intrigue: The episode offers some insight into how Trump 2.0 thinks about tariffs — and why attempts to model trade war economic impacts might be futile.
—Courtenay Brown, Axios, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for futile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for futile
Adjective
-
The two had been hired to kill Pino’s estranged wife, according to the FBI, though their attempts up to that point had been unsuccessful.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
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
-
This will especially appeal to the silly preschoolers in the group!—
Amanda Rock,
Parents,
5 Mar. 2025
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Using medieval art as one resource, Ariès pointed out that children were often portrayed as miniature adults, without special attributes, such as plump features or silly behaviors, that might mark them as fundamentally different from their older counterparts.—
Anna Mae Duane,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 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
-
Plus, he’s got a natural and serious relationship to rap that makes even his goofiest songs really earnest.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2025
-
At one point, his girlfriend (played by Heidi Gardner) coaches him into posing using increasingly goofy directions, and Gillis delivers.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The walls were giddy with patterned paper and hung with vintage portraits of busty women.—
Julie Lasky,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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As for the Democrats, their marching in defense of a regime change tool that Trump's base is giddy to destroy is extraordinary, but unsurprising.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Futile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/futile. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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