The president described these activities as futile.
an utterly futile struggle for justice
Their attempts were impressive but ultimately futile.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
futile — [ fytil ] adj. • XIVe; lat. futilis 1 ♦ Qui est dépourvu de sérieux, qui ne mérite pas qu on s y arrête. ⇒ insignifiant. Discours, propos futiles. ⇒ creux, frivole, vain, vide. Sous le prétexte le plus futile. ⇒ léger; puéril. S occuper de choses … Encyclopédie Universelle
futile — futile, vain, fruitless, bootless, abortive all denote barren of result. Futile and vain parallel each other only when they imply failure to realize an immediate aim {it was equally in vain, and he soon wearied of his futile vigilance Stevenson}… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Futile — Fu tile (?; 277), a. [L. futilis that easily pours out, that easily lets loose, vain, worthless, from the root of fundere to pour out: cf. F. futile. See {Fuse}, v. t.] [1913 Webster] 1. Talkative; loquacious; tattling. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
futile — [fyo͞ot′ l; ] chiefly Brit & Cdn [, fyo͞o′tīl΄] adj. [< Fr or L: Fr futile < L futilis, lit., that easily pours out, hence untrustworthy, worthless, futile < base of fundere: see FOUND3] 1. a) that could not succeed; useless; vain b)… … English World dictionary
futile — I adjective abortive, barren, bootless, feckless, fruitless, futilis, gainless, hopeless, inanis, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, insignificant, inutile, nugatory, otiose, profitless, resultless, unavailing, unfruitful, unimportant,… … Law dictionary
futile — 1550s, from M.Fr. futile, from L. futilis vain, worthless, futile, lit. pouring out easily (of a vessel), hence easily emptied, leaky, unreliable, from base of fundere pour, melt, from PIE root *gheu to pour (see FOUND (Cf. found) (2)). Related:… … Etymology dictionary
futile — FUTILE. adj. de tout genre. Frivole, Qui est de peu de consequence, de peu de consideration. Raison futile. discours futile … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
futile — / futile/ agg. [dal lat. futĭlis, propr. che lascia scorrere ]. 1. [privo di profondità, di scarsa serietà: argomenti, discorsi f. ] ▶◀ e ◀▶ [➨ frivolo (1)]. 2. [di scarso peso, di poca importanza: litigare per f. motivi ] ▶◀ banale,… … Enciclopedia Italiana
futile — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ producing no useful result; pointless. DERIVATIVES futilely adverb futility noun. ORIGIN Latin futilis leaky, futile … English terms dictionary
Futĭle — (röm. Ant.), Opfergefäße in dem Tempel der Vesta, ohne Füße … Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
FUTILE — Lutatio ad Stat. Theb. l. 7. v. 297. vas fuit lato ove, quo utebantur in sacris Deae Vestae; quia aqua ad sacra Vestae in terra non ponitur, quod si fiat, piaculumest, ideo excogitatum est vas, quod stare non posset, sed si positum statim… … Hofmann J. Lexicon universale
