释义
[ fyoot -l, fyoo -tahyl ] SHOW IPA
/ ˈfyut l, ˈfyu taɪl / PHONETIC RESPELLING
SEE SYNONYMS FOR futile ON THESAURUS.COM
adjective incapable of producing any result; ineffective; useless; not successful: Attempting to force-feed the sick horse was futile.
trifling; frivolous; unimportant.
Origin of futile First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin fūtilis, futtilis “easily broken, vain, worthless,” equivalent to fūt- (akin to fundere “to pour, melt”) + -ilis -ile
synonym study for futile 1 . See useless.
OTHER WORDS FROM futile fu·tile·ly, adverb fu·tile·ness, noun non·fu·tile, adjective un·fu·tile, adjective Words nearby futile fusuma, fut., Futabatei, Futcher's line, futhark, futile , futilitarian, futility, futon, futsal, futtock
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for futile LONDON—You want to know how awful, futile , and dehumanizing war is?
‘Fury’: A Ludicrous WWII Movie More Violent Than ‘Inglourious Basterds’ | Nico Hines| October 20, 2014| DAILY BEAST
As a result, his rep rehab remains a lonely and futile mission.
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The absurdity of North Korea now extends to its futile attempt to anticipate the whims of Mother Nature.
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Their hope that this means the spotlight stays off them, however, will be futile : Brutally put, the papers prefer them to Charles.
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When he finally became president, Nixon walked away from that war to prolong a futile one half a world away.
100 Years of Right (And Left) Moves | Robert Shrum| March 31, 2014| DAILY BEAST
At present it is largely engaged in the futile task of Sisyphus.
Moral Principles in Education | John Dewey
He found an occasional momentary satisfaction in burned cork, but the joy was futile , and impermanent.
Despair's Last Journey | David Christie Murray
They sat on their haunches in the snow, and grinned at the whip-crackings and futile "Mush, mush!"
The Magnetic North | Elizabeth Robins (C. E. Raimond)
For you stand or stray in the futile building, while the cloud is no mansion for man, and out of reach of his limitations.
The Colour of Life | Alice Meynell
Yes, to-day this seems a practical fact that already is being accomplished, and not a futile speculation.
The Truth About Woman | C. Gasquoine Hartley
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British Dictionary definitions for futile adjective having no effective result; unsuccessful
pointless; unimportant; trifling
inane or foolish don't be so futile!
Derived forms of futile futilely , adverb futileness , noun Word Origin for futile C16: from Latin futtilis pouring out easily, worthless, from fundere to pour out
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Words related to futile fruitless, worthless, impractical, ineffective, vain, insufficient, hollow, ineffectual, useless, unsuccessful, unproductive, unprofitable, trivial, abortive, barren, bootless, delusive, empty, exhausted, forlorn