futility

noun

fu·​til·​i·​ty fyü-ˈti-lə-tē How to pronounce futility (audio)
plural futilities
1
: the quality or state of being futile : uselessness
His speech focused on the futility of violence.
2
: a useless act or gesture
the futilities of debate for its own sakeW. A. White

Examples of futility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But these Knicks, after decades of futility, have actually given us something to cheer about. Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 12 May 2024 The Captain, finally seeing Ms. Mori’s love for Sonny, realizes the futility of such comparisons. Terry Nguyen, Vulture, 12 May 2024 And as Betts rounded the bases, coolly celebrating his 10th homer of the season with a point to the team’s dugout and bullpen, the futility of his recent struggles quickly faded from memory. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2024 This futility is not treated as disturbing or uneasy, but rather full of possibility. Kayti Burt, TIME, 7 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for futility 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'futility.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French and Latin; French futilité, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin fūtilitāt-, fūtilitās (also futtilitāt-, futtilitās) "unprofitableness, uselessness," from fūtilis, futtilis "brittle, fragile (of containers), serving no purpose, pointless" + -itāt- -itās -ity — more at futile

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of futility was circa 1623

Dictionary Entries Near futility

Cite this Entry

“Futility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/futility. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

futility

noun
fu·​til·​i·​ty ˌfyu̇-ˈtil-ət-ē How to pronounce futility (audio)
plural futilities
1
: the quality or state of being futile
2
: a useless act
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!