Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

futilely

/ˈfju.təl.li/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.88 in modern English

Syllables: fu-tile-ly
IPA: /ˈfju.təl.li/

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In a futile manner.

Example Sentences

"Near-synonyms: fruitlessly, pointlessly, to no avail, in vain"
"My fingers clawed futilely at the unyielding portal, while my eyes sought in vain for a duplicate of the button which had given us ingress."
"Her counsellors […] were reluctant to accept the cession of Bombay and Tangier, and […] it proved costly to maintain, and when the present struggle was over it was futilely abandoned in 1684."
"[…] within those dolls where some things still lurk unseen, struggling futilely to undo the red threads that bind their forms, […]"

Etymology

Etymology tree English futile Middle English -ly English -ly English futilely From futile + -ly.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈfju.təl.li/

Inflected Forms

more futilely (comparative) most futilely (superlative)

Synonyms

fruitlessly pointlessly to no avail in vain

Questions

How do you pronounce futilely?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfju.təl.li/.
What does futilely mean?: In a futile manner.
Where does futilely come from?: Etymology tree English futile Middle English -ly English -ly English futilely From futile + -ly.

How to pronounce futilely

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “futilely”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfju.təl.li/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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