useless
/ˈjus.ləs/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.22 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Without use or the possibility to be used.
Example Sentences
- "This fork's prongs are bent. It's useless now."
- "I'm all for opening new stations (Transport Scotland is planning another at East Linton, about halfway between Drem and Dunbar), but they are useless without a decent service."
- "I think it's useless to keep this discussion going. It's like talking to a brick wall."
- "I tried my best to make him quit smoking, but my efforts were useless. He now smokes six packs a day."
- "Bill never mows the lawn, takes out the trash or anything. He's useless, but I love him anyways."
- "My brother is useless at most computer games, but he is an awesome PS2 player."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃eyt-der.? Proto-Italic *oitōr Latin ūtor Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin ūsus Old French usbor. Middle English use English use Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English useless From use + -less.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈjus.ləs/
- British English: /ˈjuːs.ləs/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more useless (comparative)
uselesser (comparative)
most useless (superlative)
uselessest (superlative)