futility
noun
fu·til·i·ty
fyü-ˈti-lə-tē 
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 sake—
W. A. White
W. A. WhiteExamples of futility in a Sentence
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Filmmakers have been telling comparable stories for years — see Liz Garbus and Jonathan Stack’s The Farm: Angola, USA, or Ava DuVernay’s 13th, among many others — and the futility is baked in.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
Not bad, considering the team is coming off setting a modern record for futility and has an atrophied season ticket base.
—Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
But Abdi-Bahri suggests the feelings of futility that Nazanin must be experiencing.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Khan fired coach Doug Pederson a day after the team’s regular-season finale and following his 18th loss in 23 games, a stunning stretch of futility that had a lot to do with injuries to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a defense that regressed under first-year coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
—Mark Long, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2025
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Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
Not bad, considering the team is coming off setting a modern record for futility and has an atrophied season ticket base.
—Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
But Abdi-Bahri suggests the feelings of futility that Nazanin must be experiencing.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Khan fired coach Doug Pederson a day after the team’s regular-season finale and following his 18th loss in 23 games, a stunning stretch of futility that had a lot to do with injuries to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a defense that regressed under first-year coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
—Mark Long, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for futility
Dictionary Entries Near futility
Cite this Entry
“Futility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/futility. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
futility
noun
fu·til·i·ty
ˌfyu̇-ˈtil-ət-ē
plural futilities
1
: the quality or state of being futile
2
: a useless act
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