SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
futile
adjective
Unable to achieve the intended result.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Unable to produce a result
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topFutile implies that effort cannot achieve the aim; unsuccessful can describe an attempt that might have worked.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See futile in use
Searching the empty room again seemed futile.
Repeating the same forbidden move is futile because it cannot create the legal passage the players need.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license