► pointlesswithout any purpose or meaning: People stood in groups, making pointless small talk. Life just seemed pointless to me then.
► futile having no chance of being effective or successful: The secretary of state’s visit was a futile attempt to prevent the war.
► useless not useful or effective in any way: The information he provided was useless.
► a waste of time/money/effort not worth doing or spending money on because little or nothing is achieved or gained: I thought the class was a waste of time.
► senseless pointless. Used especially when talking about murders or other acts of violence: The country was in shock after the senseless killing of nine people.
► needless formal pointless. Used especially in writing with words like “waste,” “expense,” “suffering,” and “death”: He has spent his career working to end wars and other needless bloodshed.