Meaning & use
futile
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Producing no useful result despite effort; incapable of achieving the desired effect.
Grammar: Used before nouns and after linking verbs; more/most futile is possible but less common.
Patterns
- a futile attempt
- futile effort
- it is futile to do something
It was futile to argue after the decision had been made.
They made a futile attempt to restart the flooded engine.
Protesting the new rule felt futile but necessary.
Word forms
| comparative | more futile |
|---|---|
| superlative | most futile |
Common combinations
- futile attempt
- His futile attempt to fix the leak just made the floor wetter.
- futile effort
- Recycling one bottle is not a futile effort if it becomes a habit.
- prove futile
- Every search for the missing key proved futile.
- ultimately futile
- The delay was ultimately futile because the deadline remained unchanged.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pointless
- Emphasizes lack of purpose; futile emphasizes failure despite real effort.
- vain
- Literary or formal for unsuccessful effort; common in in vain, not usually describing a person.
- useless
- Broader and can describe objects or people; futile is mainly about attempts or actions.
Opposites
Word family
- futility noun
- The quality of being useless or unable to succeed.
Commonly confused: futile or impossible?
futile vs impossible
Impossible means it cannot be done; futile means someone tried or could try, but no useful result would follow.
Practice
Which word best completes the sentence: "Calling after midnight was ___; no one ever answered."
Choose one answer.
Calling was possible but produced no result, so futile fits; impossible would mean the call could not be made at all.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “futile”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.