fruitless pursuit
Chasing the wind
A fruitless pursuit is an effort that yields nothing worthwhile—time and energy spent chasing something unattainable or pointless.
The phrase emphasizes wasted labor: After years of fruitless pursuit, she abandoned her search for the missing documents.
It often carries a note of futility recognized only in hindsight.
- futileIncapable of producing results
- exercise in futilityEffort certain to fail
- hopelessBeyond possibility of success
- vainExcessively proud or futile
- chasingFollowing to catch
chasing rainbows · windmills · wild goose chase · snipe hunt · uphill battle · endless · quest · doomed · running in circles · searching · grasping · shadows · fool's errand · herding cats · dead end · pointless · tilting · unrewarded
fruitless pursuitbearing fruit
Generating successful outcomes
paying off · winning strategy · achievement · triumph · accomplishment
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