# useless

Pronunciation: say "YOOS-luhs" /ˈjuːs.ləs/

## Adjective

1. Having no use, and incapable of being put to any purpose at all.
   - Simple: Having no use, and not able to be used for anything.
   - _After the flood damaged its engine, the car was completely useless._
   - _Without a signal, the expensive radio proved useless to the stranded hikers._
2. Unhelpful and pointless, so that performing the action accomplishes nothing worthwhile.
   - Simple: Not helpful and having no point, so it is a waste of effort.
   - _Complaining about the weather is useless, since nothing you say will change it._
   - _Their last-minute efforts to fix the report proved useless once the deadline had passed._
3. Unable to perform a particular task well: a mildly insulting way to describe someone's lack of skill. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Bad at doing a certain thing, and often used as a mild insult.
   - _My brother is useless at directions and gets lost even with a map._
   - _She felt useless at math no matter how many hours she studied._
4. Worthless and undependable, describing a person who cannot be relied on for anything.
   - Simple: Lazy or worthless, and not able to be trusted to do anything well.
   - _His useless cousin borrowed money and never paid back a single cent._
   - _The manager fired the useless worker who skipped half of his shifts._

## Origin

Formed from "use" combined with the suffix "-less," meaning without use.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/useless (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).