pointless

adjective

point·​less ˈpȯint-ləs How to pronounce pointless (audio)
1
: devoid of meaning : senseless
a pointless remark
2
: devoid of effectiveness : flat
pointless attempts to be funny
pointlessly adverb
pointlessness noun

Examples of pointless in a Sentence

It would be pointless for us to continue the investigation. a pointless remark that left everyone scratching their heads in confusion
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Organizations like Shopify have eliminated up to 76,500 hours of pointless meetings through similar audits. Keith Ferrazzi, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025 If not, maybe the discussion about K2-18b's habitability is, more or less, pointless. Perri Thaler, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025 The reimbursement and ongoing tuition costs for the non-public school are required to be paid by the district by law, so that expense would not be counted in the total amount of money the district wasted over this pointless litigation. Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2025 Knowing how badly Laine had been struggling with the Montreal Canadiens, coming into the tournament on an eight-game pointless streak, Pennanen had a one-on-one conversation with the mercurial scoring star. Arpon Basu, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pointless

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pointless was in 1582

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Cite this Entry

“Pointless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pointless. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

pointless

adjective
point·​less ˈpȯint-ləs How to pronounce pointless (audio)
1
: lacking meaning : senseless
a pointless remark
2
: ineffective sense 1
pointless attempts to be funny
pointlessly adverb
pointlessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on pointless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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