useless
Serving no purpose
Useless describes something that serves no purpose or provides no benefit: This broken umbrella is useless.
It can describe people who fail to contribute: He's useless in a crisis.
The word often expresses frustration or dismissal: It's useless to argue with her.
Something useless lacks utility entirely, while something merely unhelpful might still have some value.
Excessively proud or futile
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- unavailingProducing no result
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
- bootlessProducing no result
abortive · unsuccessful · hopeless · Sisyphean · quixotic · doomed · unattainable · unrewarding
Lacking significance or purpose
- purposelessLacking aim or intention
- senselessLacking reason or awareness
- aimlessHaving no direction
- trivialLacking significance or weight
frivolous · otiose · nugatory · empty · idle · vacuous · hollow · inane
Not essential or required
- redundantExceeding what's needed
- unneededNot required at all
- surplusAmount exceeding requirement
- excessSurplus beyond need
dispensable · expendable · nonessential · gratuitous · extraneous · spare · unwarranted · deadwood
Lacking skill or competence
- incapableLacking requisite ability
- unqualifiedLacking required credentials
- unskilledLacking acquired competence
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
hapless · clumsy · bumbling · hopeless · unfit · inadequate · deficient · lacking
Not performing its purpose
- kaputSlang for ruined
- bustedApprehended or broken
- inoperableCannot be repaired
- defectiveHaving inherent faults
faulty · malfunctioning · dead · shot · finished · ruined · beyond repair · junked
No longer in use
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- superannuatedMade obsolete by age
- defunctNo longer existing
decommissioned · mothballed · deprecated · retired · phased out · superseded · replaced · old hat
vain
Excessively proud or futile
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- unavailingProducing no result
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
bootless · abortive · unsuccessful · hopeless · Sisyphean · quixotic · doomed · unattainable · unrewarding · thankless
meaningless
Lacking significance or purpose
- purposelessLacking aim or intention
- senselessLacking reason or awareness
- aimlessHaving no direction
trivial · frivolous · otiose · nugatory · empty · idle · vacuous · hollow · inane · good for nothing
unnecessary
Not essential or required
excess · dispensable · expendable · nonessential · gratuitous · extraneous · spare · unwarranted · deadwood · fifth wheel
inept
Lacking skill or competence
- incapableLacking requisite ability
- unqualifiedLacking required credentials
- unskilledLacking acquired competence
bungling · hapless · clumsy · bumbling · hopeless · unfit · inadequate · deficient · lacking · amateurish
nonfunctional
Not performing its purpose
- kaputSlang for ruined
- bustedApprehended or broken
- inoperableCannot be repaired
defective · faulty · malfunctioning · dead · shot · finished · ruined · beyond repair · junked · bricked
outdated
No longer in use
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- superannuatedMade obsolete by age
defunct · decommissioned · mothballed · deprecated · retired · phased out · superseded · replaced · old hat · past its prime
- futilefutile, pointless, fruitless, vain, in vain
- giving upgive up, giving up, quit, quitting, surrender
- negative adjectivesawful, bad, cruel, dumb, evil
- qualitiesgood, bad, better, best, effective
- shortcomingsdeficient, inadequate, lacking, inferior, subpar
- Incompetencebungle, failure, botch, inability, blunder
uselessuseful
Serving a purpose
usable · functional · practical · serviceable · workable
uselesseffective
Producing intended results
helpful · beneficial · efficient · productive · working
- useless lesbianQueer woman, romantically oblivious