English Explanatory Dictionary

useless

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Without use or the possibility to be used.
  2. Unhelpful, not useful; pointless (of an action).
  3. Good-for-nothing; not dependable.
  4. Of a person, Unable to do well at a particular task or endeavor.

Pronunciation

/ˈjuːs.ləs/ en-us-useless.ogg

Word forms

useless more useless uselesser most useless uselessest

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *oissos Latin ūsus Old French usbor. Middle English use English use Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English useless From use + -less.

Synonyms

unusable unutilizable void good-for-nothing unskillful

Antonyms

skillful useful

Derived words

useless as tits on a boar hog useless as tits on a bull useless eater useless lesbian uselessly uselessness Uselessnet
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on U Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary