useless
YOOS-luhs
Useless (adjective) means not able to be used; serving no practical purpose. Example: “An umbrella with broken spokes is useless in heavy rain.”
adjective
1
Not able to be used; serving no practical purpose.
"An umbrella with broken spokes is useless in heavy rain."
"A phone with a dead battery is useless."
"The instructions were useless — nobody could follow them."
2
Informal: bad at something; incompetent.
"He's completely useless at parallel parking, so I always drive."
"Don't ask me to fix it; I'm useless with computers."
"I'm useless at remembering names."
How to use useless
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHaving no use, or (informally) being no good at something.
Common pairings
completely useless
useless at
render something useless
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Word forms
- Comparative
- more useless, uselesser
- Superlative
- most useless, uselessest
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
An umbrella with broken spokes is _____ in heavy rain.
Etymology
From use + -less.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for useless
ageless
wireless
hopeless
homeless
tireless
careless
lifeless
baseless
clueless
timeless
loveless
nameless
See all rhymes for useless →
Frequently asked questions
What does “useless” mean?
The word “useless” means not able to be used; serving no practical purpose. In plain terms, having no use, or (informally) being no good at something.
How do you pronounce “useless”?
“Useless” is pronounced YOOS-luhs (/ˈjuːs.ləs/ in IPA).
How do you use “useless” in a sentence?
Here is “useless” used in a sentence: “A phone with a dead battery is useless.”
What is the opposite of “useless”?
The opposite of “useless” — its antonyms — are skillful and useful.
What part of speech is “useless”?
“Useless” is an adjective.
Is “useless” a common word?
“Useless” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “useless” have?
“Useless” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: not able to be used; serving no practical purpose.
What is the difference between 'useless' and 'worthless'?
'Useless' means serving no practical purpose or not able to be used, focusing on lack of function. 'Worthless' means having no value, focusing on lack of worth; something can be useless for a task yet still hold sentimental or monetary worth, so the two are not always interchangeable.
What preposition follows 'useless' when talking about ability?
In the informal sense of being bad at something, 'useless' is followed by 'at', as in 'he's useless at cooking'. When describing something with no purpose, it often pairs with 'for', as in 'this tool is useless for the job'.
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