INDEX:
1. when something is not useful
2. objects that are useless and not needed
3. actions or activities that are useless
4. ways of telling someone that it is useless to do something
5. when it is useless to try to persuade someone
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ USEFUL
see also
↑ PURPOSE
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1. when something is not useful
▷ useless /ˈjuːsləs/ [adjective]
not at all useful :
▪ The lifejackets turned out to be useless, because they didn’t inflate properly.
▪ a useless piece of information
▪ She gave me a video, but of course it’s useless without a player.
completely/totally/utterly/absolutely useless
▪ Presumably, my files will be completely useless to whoever stole them.
▪ It’s time you traded the car in, before it becomes utterly useless.
useless for (doing) something
▪ That’s a nice watch, but it’s useless for going underwater.
▪ Jay’s car was 20 years old, and useless for anything but a short journey to the local shops.
uselessly [adverb]
▪ His injured arm hung uselessly by his side.
▷ be (of) no use /biː (əv) ˌnəʊ ˈjuːs/ [verb phrase]
to be useless :
▪ This map’s no use -- it doesn’t show the minor roads.
▪ I’m freezing, and these heaters are no use either.
be (of) no use to
▪ All this information is of no use to me now. It’s too late.
be of no use for doing something
▪ It’s a great rifle -- but no use for shooting anything bigger than a rabbit.
▷ have got no use for /həv gɒt nəʊ ˈjuːs fɔːʳǁ-gɑːt-/ [verb phrase] British
if you have no use for something, you do not want it or need it because you cannot use it for anything :
▪ You may as well stop giving me these magazines -- I’ve got no use for them, and they just go straight in the bin.
▷ be no good /biː ˌnəʊ ˈgʊd/ [verb phrase] informal
to be useless :
▪ These matches must have got wet -- they’re no good at all.
▪ Yeah, Clancy’s Bar is a lively place, but it’s no good if you just want a quiet drink with a friend.
be no good for (doing) something
▪ These glasses are no good for champagne.
▪ We found out that the vehicle was not much good for transporting heavy loads.
be no good to
▪ You’re no good to me if you can’t drive a car.
▪ Do you want these bike parts? They’re no good to me.
▷ be (of) no help /biː (əv) ˌnəʊ ˈhelp/ [verb phrase]
to not be helpful in a particular situation :
▪ Johnny had drawn me a map, but that was no help.
▪ Seat belts are of no help at all in 30% of car accidents.
▪ I looked at the departures screen, but that was no help because it was out of order.
be (of) no help to
▪ It was the nicest thing she could think of to say, but it was really no help to me.
▪ The follow-up seminar on women’s issues was of no help to me, so I left early.
be (of) no help in doing something
▪ In-store videos were of no help in identifying the criminals.
2. objects that are useless and not needed
▷ junk /dʒʌŋk/ [uncountable noun]
objects that have little value because they are old, useless, broken, or unwanted :
▪ a market stall selling junk and old clothes
▪ a pile of old junk
▪ Her cupboards were full of junk which she had accumulated over the years.
▷ garbage /ˈgɑːʳbɪdʒ/ [uncountable noun] especially American, informal
things that are useless because they are badly made, old, or broken :
▪ Don’t buy from that store -- most of the stuff there is garbage.
▪ You can throw out all the stuff in that cupboard, it’s garbage.
▪ The attic was full of all kinds of garbage, including an old stereo and boxes of broken toys.
3. actions or activities that are useless
▷ pointless /ˈpɔɪntləs/ [adjective]
if someone does something that is pointless, it does not seem to have any useful purpose and will not help anyone :
▪ The argument was completely pointless.
▪ pointless drug testing on animals
a pointless exercise
something that you have to do that does not seem to have any purpose
▪ We had to change the sheets daily, which always seemed to me to be a pointless exercise.
it is pointless doing something
British
▪ It’s pointless trying to speak to the manager -- she’s always too busy.
▪ Look, it’s pointless us both waiting here -- I’ll go and find a phone.
it is pointless to do something
▪ The company says it is pointless to compete in the air package holiday market.
▪ Simon was probably dead, and it was pointless to think he was coming back.
pointlessly [adverb]
▪ ‘When...? How...?’ I stammered pointlessly. I already knew the answers.
pointlessness [uncountable noun]
▪ Trevor began explaining the pointlessness of a classical education.
▷ futile /ˈfjuːtaɪlǁ-tl/ [adjective]
a futile effort or attempt to do something is completely pointless because there is no chance of its being effective or successful :
▪ Kevin made one last futile attempt to persuade Sandra to go with him, then left.
▪ Demonstrators condemned the summit as a futile and fruitless exercise.
prove futile
when an attempt ends without being successful
▪ All efforts to save the child proved futile.
▪ Until attitudes at work are changed, attempts to improve performance are likely to prove futile.
it is futile to do something
▪ The goal is not to punish the rebels, but to convince them that it is futile to resist.
futility /fjuːˈtɪlɪti, fjuːˈtɪləti/ [uncountable noun]
▪ Wilfrid Owen’s poems stress the absolute futility of war.
an exercise in futility
something that would be pointless to try doing
▪ Signing a trade agreement would be an exercise in futility.
▷ useless /ˈjuːsləs/ [adjective]
if an activity is useless, it does not achieve anything or does not help anyone :
▪ Numerous studies show that dieting is useless and may even cause weight gain.
▪ I had to remind myself that worrying is a useless activity.
it is useless to do something
▪ It was useless now to ask for help from my mother.
▪ He knew it was useless to pretend to be innocent.
it is useless doing something
British
▪ It’s useless trying to talk to you when you’ve had a drink.
▪ I think it would be useless writing to the company -- they haven’t even returned my calls.
4. ways of telling someone that it is useless to do something
▷ there’s no point/what’s the point /ðeəʳz ˌnəʊ ˈpɔɪnt, ˌwɒts ðə ˈpɔɪnt/ especially spoken
say this when you think that it is useless to do something because it will not achieve any useful purpose :
▪ ‘Why don’t you try and sort out your argument with Mike?’ ‘There’s no point -- he never listens.’
▪ Don’t try working out what your exam results will be -- there’s no point.
there’s no point (in) doing something
▪ There’s no point kidding yourself, Karen -- he just isn’t interested in you anymore.
▪ It’s frustrating, but there’s no point in getting angry.
what’s the point of doing something?
spoken
▪ You’ve already decided, so what’s the point of discussing it?
see no point/not see the point
▪ I didn’t see the point of waiting around, so I left.
▪ I figured I’d be in town a while, and I saw no point in making enemies when I didn’t have to.
▷ be a waste of time/be wasting your time /biː ə ˌweɪst əv ˈtaɪm, biː ˌweɪstɪŋ jɔːʳ ˈtaɪm/ [verb phrase] spoken
use this when you think that someone should not spend their time doing something because it will definitely not achieve anything :
be a waste of time doing something/wasting your time doing something
▪ You’re wasting your time trying to start that car. The battery’s completely flat.
▪ I told you it would be a waste of time applying for a visa.
▪ Why waste your time trying to convince him? He won’t change his mind.
▷ it’s not worth it /ɪts ˌnɒt ˈwɜːʳθ ɪt/ spoken
say this when you think that something someone wants to do is not important enough to spend any time or money on :
▪ Don’t get angry. It’s not worth it.
▪ ‘You should have your car serviced.’ ‘It isn’t worth it. I hardly ever drive now.’
▷ it won’t do you any good/it won’t get you anywhere /ɪt ˌwəʊnt duː juː ˌeni ˈgʊd, ɪt ˌwəʊnt get juː ˈeniweəʳ/ spoken
say this when you think that someone will not be able to change a situation or persuade someone by doing something :
▪ Worrying about the test won’t do you any good.
▪ I don’t think this is getting us anywhere. Can we change the subject?
▪ Flattery won’t get you anywhere -- I’m not doing it.
▪ All this speculation isn’t doing anyone any good.
▷ it’s/there’s no use spoken also it’s/there’s no good British spoken /ɪts, ðeəʳz ˌnəʊ ˈjuːs, ɪts, ðeəʳz ˌnəʊ ˈgʊd/
say this when something you are doing is not working so it is pointless to continue :
no use (in) doing something
▪ It’s no use talking to me about interest rates and mortgages -- I find it all too confusing.
▪ It’s no use lying about it because I saw you do it!
▪ There’s no use in getting upset about it now.
be no good doing something
British
▪ It’s no good sitting here feeling sorry for yourself.
▪ There’s no good punishing him hours later, because he won’t remember what he’s done wrong.
5. when it is useless to try to persuade someone
▷ it’s like talking to a brick wall also might as well talk to a brick wall British /ɪts laɪk ˌtɔːkɪŋ tʊ ə ˌbrɪk ˈwɔːl, maɪt əz wel ˌtɔːk tʊ ə ˌbrɪk ˈwɔːl/ spoken
use this to say that it is useless to try to persuade someone or argue with them, because they will not listen to what you are saying :
▪ I wouldn’t bother arguing with Francis -- it’s like talking to a brick wall.
▪ I told you I don’t want to go out again tonight -- honestly, I might just as well talk to a brick wall!
▷ be wasting your breath /biː ˌweɪstɪŋ jɔːʳ ˈbreθ/ [verb phrase] spoken
use this to tell someone that there is no point in trying to argue with someone or persuade them about something because they will not change their opinion :
▪ It’s no good trying to make Kit change her mind -- you’d just be wasting your breath.
▪ He’s wasting his breath. There’s no way they’re going to lend him the money.
▷ till you’re blue in the face /tɪl jɔːʳ ˌbluː ɪn ðə ˈfeɪs/ [adverb] spoken
if you talk, argue etc with someone till you’re blue in the face, you talk or argue with them for a very long time when it is pointless to do this because they will not listen or understand :
▪ You can argue till you’re blue in the face, but it won’t do you any good.
▪ Politicians can claim until they are blue in the face that students have never had it so good, but the fact is, they cannot justify those claims.