fruitless
Bearing no yield
Fruitless means producing no fruit—literally for a barren tree, figuratively for efforts that yield nothing useful.
A fruitless search finds nothing.
A fruitless endeavor accomplishes nothing.
The word emphasizes wasted effort more than simple failure: After hours of fruitless negotiation, both sides gave up.
Incapable of producing results
- vainExcessively proud or futile
- uselessWithout practical value
- pointlessLacking any purpose
- unavailingProducing no result
ineffectual · bootless · purposeless · to no avail · otiose · nugatory · in vain · unrewarding
Unable to produce
- sterileFree from microorganisms
- infertileUnable to produce offspring
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
- seedlessLacking inner kernels
childless · unfertile · arid · desolate · unpollinated · nonproducing
Failing to satisfy expectations
- unfulfillingLacking emotional reward
- unsatisfyingFailing to gratify
- dishearteningCausing loss of hope
- discouragingCausing loss of confidence
frustrating · unrewarding · dispiriting · deflating · anticlimactic · demoralizing · thankless · bleak
Using resources carelessly
- squanderedCarelessly used up
- wastedUsed without good result
- misspentUsed badly or foolishly
- inefficientPoor at using resources
profitless · unprofitable · ill-spent · dissipated · misdirected · counterproductive · uneconomical
futile
Incapable of producing results
unavailing · ineffectual · bootless · purposeless · to no avail · otiose · nugatory · in vain · unrewarding · profitless
barren
Unable to produce
- sterileFree from microorganisms
- infertileUnable to produce offspring
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
seedless · childless · unfertile · arid · desolate · unpollinated · nonproducing
disappointing
Failing to satisfy expectations
- unfulfillingLacking emotional reward
- unsatisfyingFailing to gratify
- dishearteningCausing loss of hope
discouraging · frustrating · unrewarding · dispiriting · deflating · anticlimactic · demoralizing · thankless · bleak · hopeless
wasteful
Using resources carelessly
- squanderedCarelessly used up
- wastedUsed without good result
- misspentUsed badly or foolishly
inefficient · profitless · unprofitable · ill-spent · dissipated · misdirected · counterproductive · uneconomical
- futilefutile, useless, pointless, vain, in vain
- predicamentspredicament, dilemma, bind, pickle, pinch
- free thingsfree, gratis, zero cost, no charge, on the house
- inferiorinferior, substandard, second-rate, second-class, subpar
- ruinedruined, destroyed, wrecked, demolished, obliterated
- self-defeatingself-sabotage, backfire, boomerang effect, own goal
fruitlessfruitful
Producing abundant results
productive · successful · effective · efficacious · effectual
fruitlessfertile
Able to reproduce abundantly
fruitful · productive · fecund · prolific · fruit-bearing
fruitlessworthwhile
Meriting effort or attention
meaningful · valuable · purposeful · significant · rewarding
- fruitless pursuitEffort destined to fail