futility
fjuːˈtɪlɪti
futilities
Definition Synonyms

Definition of futility - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

1.
pointlessact or thing that is pointless or ineffective
  • His efforts were a futility in the face of such odds.
ineffectiveness pointlessness uselessness
2.
frustrationsense of frustration or defeat
  • He felt a deep sense of futility as he failed the task again..
pointlessness uselessness
Add a suggestion |

Expressions with futility

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
action that is pointless and cannot succeed
Trying to fix it was an exercise in futility.

Origin of futility

Latin, futilis (leaky, vain)

Terms with futility included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
futility
not helpful or effective in achieving a result
futility
lack of reason or purpose in doing something
futility
lack of purpose or benefit in doing something
no useexp.
futility
pointless or not worth doing
futility
no reason to do something because it is useless
futility
no reason or purpose for doing something
futility
action that achieves no useful result
futility
make something pointless or stop it from working

Examples of futility in a sentence

  • She realized the futility of arguing with him.
  • The futility of the situation made him want to give up.
  • She couldn't shake the feeling of futility after the meeting.

View all translations of futility

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:futilité, inutilité, ...
  2. German:Sinnlosigkeit, Frustration, ...
  3. Italian:inutilità, ...
  4. Spanish:futilidad, ...
  5. Portuguese:inutilidade, ...
  6. Chinese:徒劳, 徒劳感, ...
  7. Japanese:無駄, 無力感, ...
  8. Arabic:عَدَم الجَدْوَى, ...
  9. Hebrew:חוֹסֶר תּוֹחֶלֶת, חוֹסֶר טַעַם, ...
  10. Russian:бесполезность, тщетность, ...
  11. Ukrainian:марність, ...
  12. Hindi:निरर्थकता, हताशा, ...
Browse the dictionary entries starting with “f”:

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery