adjective

fruitless

FROOT-luhs

Fruitless (adjective) means producing no useful result; unsuccessful. Example: “They spent a fruitless afternoon searching for the missing keys.”

adjective

Producing no useful result; unsuccessful.

"They spent a fruitless afternoon searching for the missing keys."

"His attempts to reach customer service were fruitless."

Bearing no fruit.

"The old tree in the yard has been fruitless for years."

How to use fruitless

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishProducing no result, or literally, bearing no fruit.

Common pairings

a fruitless search fruitless effort fruitless negotiations

more fruitless comparative, most fruitless superlative

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They spent a _____ afternoon searching for the missing keys.

From Middle English fruytles, built from fruit plus -less, "without."

Origin: Middle English

witless shitless limitless

What does “fruitless” mean?

The word “fruitless” means producing no useful result; unsuccessful. In plain terms, producing no result, or literally, bearing no fruit.

How do you pronounce “fruitless”?

“Fruitless” is pronounced FROOT-luhs (/ˈfɹutləs/ in IPA).

How do you use “fruitless” in a sentence?

Here is “fruitless” used in a sentence: “They spent a fruitless afternoon searching for the missing keys.”

What part of speech is “fruitless”?

“Fruitless” is an adjective.

Where does the word “fruitless” come from?

The word “fruitless” comes from Middle English. From Middle English fruytles, built from fruit plus -less, "without.".

How many meanings does “fruitless” have?

“Fruitless” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: producing no useful result; unsuccessful.