futility
Exercise in vain
Futility is the quality of being pointless or incapable of producing any useful result.
An action has futility when it cannot possibly succeed or when any effort invested in it will be wasted: He recognized the futility of arguing with someone so stubborn.
The word often carries a tone of resignation or despair, acknowledging that further attempts would be meaningless.
Futile is the corresponding adjective.
Lacking significance or purpose
- purposelessLacking aim or intention
- SisypheanEndlessly, pointlessly laborious
- absurdityWildly illogical quality
- emptinessAbsence of substance
hollowness · trivial · insignificant · inconsequential · aimless · senseless · directionless · nugatory
Lacking power to achieve
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
- impotentLacking power or efficacy
- powerlessLacking strength or authority
- uselessWithout practical value
inadequate · insufficient · feeble · weak · toothless · unproductive · fruitless · unsuccessful
Use up carelessly
- misspentUsed badly or foolishly
- lost causeEndeavor certain to fail
- wild goose chaseHopeless pursuit of nothing
- fool's errandHopeless, pointless task
spinning wheels · tilting at windmills · waste of time · dead end · going nowhere · diminishing returns · sunk cost
Beyond possibility of success
- hopelessnessState without hope
- resignationVoluntary relinquishment of position
- despondentDeeply discouraged, hopeless
- defeatedOvercome in contest
discouraged · disheartened · forlorn · dejection · desolation · surrender · giving up · desperation
meaningless
Lacking significance or purpose
- purposelessLacking aim or intention
- SisypheanEndlessly, pointlessly laborious
- absurdityWildly illogical quality
emptiness · hollowness · trivial · insignificant · inconsequential · aimless · senseless · directionless · nugatory · vacuous
ineffective
Lacking power to achieve
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
- impotentLacking power or efficacy
- powerlessLacking strength or authority
useless · inadequate · insufficient · feeble · weak · toothless · unproductive · fruitless · unsuccessful · failed
squander
Use up carelessly
- misspentUsed badly or foolishly
- lost causeEndeavor certain to fail
- wild goose chaseHopeless pursuit of nothing
fool's errand · spinning wheels · tilting at windmills · waste of time · dead end · going nowhere · diminishing returns · sunk cost
hopeless
Beyond possibility of success
- hopelessnessState without hope
- resignationVoluntary relinquishment of position
- despondentDeeply discouraged, hopeless
defeated · discouraged · disheartened · forlorn · dejection · desolation · surrender · giving up · desperation · bleakness
- despairdespair, hopelessness, desolation, despondency, dejection
- discouragementdiscouragement, dejection, defeatism, disappointment, letdown
- bioethicsbioethics, medical ethics, genetic engineering, beneficence, non-maleficence
- absurdist comedyabsurdity, non sequitur, nonsense, paradox, incongruity
- existential dreadexistential dread, existential angst, existential anxiety, existential crisis, dread
- futilityin vain, pointlessness, vain, meaninglessness, no use
futilityeffectiveness
Success in producing results
efficacy · success · productivity · usefulness · potency
futilitypurpose
Reason something exists
purposefulness · significance · meaningfulness · point · meaning
futilityfruitfulness
Capacity for abundant production
fertility · productiveness · fecundity · use · utility
- exercises in futilityActions certain to accomplish nothing