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Futile is an English word with synonyms like ineffectual or otiose. Below you'll find 10+ example sentences showing how it's used in practice.

Less frequent word

Futile in a sentence

Futile | Futilely

Futile meaning

  1. Incapable of producing results, useless; doomed not to be successful; not worth attempting.
  2. Insignificant; frivolous.

Using Futile

  • The main meaning on this page is: Incapable of producing results, useless; doomed not to be successful; not worth attempting. | Insignificant; frivolous.
  • Useful related words include: ineffectual, otiose, unavailing, useless.
  • In the example corpus, futile often appears in combinations such as: proved futile, is futile, be futile.

Context around Futile

  • Average sentence length in these examples: 26.7 words
  • Position in the sentence: 2 start, 12 middle, 6 end
  • Sentence types: 20 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations

Corpus analysis for Futile

  • In this selection, "futile" usually appears in the middle of the sentence. The average example has 26.7 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
  • Around the word, proved, now, amid, arguments, attempts and appeal stand out and add context to how "futile" is used.
  • Recognizable usage signals include after her futile appeal to and after three futile rounds of. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
  • By corpus frequency, "futile" sits close to words such as abolition, absorbing and bentley, which helps place it inside the broader word index.

Example types with futile

The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:

After her futile appeal to revive their marriage, Mary leaves him. (11 words)

But after three futile rounds of fertility treatment we decided to stop. (12 words)

His pathetic attempts were futile, and he was brought back to face the consequences. (14 words)

Even Tony Blair, who has always gone out of his way to remain in lock step with the White House, felt the need to issue a gentle warning to Biden that it would be 'futile' for him to try to pressure the DUP back in to Stormont. (47 words)

Efforts to reach the state Police Command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, for comment, proved futile, as calls did not go through to her line and she has not responded to a message sent to her on the matter as of the time of filing this report. (45 words)

I have given up on the futile practice of wishing the Parkinson’s away, or trying to hide it, and realised that I have so much to be thankful for, not the least, the empathy for others living with PD. (40 words)

Example sentences (20)

Publicly, I know it is now futile, and worse than futile, to defend it, so I have reluctantly chosen silence.

A balance has to be found between trusting and scepticism, otherwise life would grind to a halt amid futile arguments.

Achimigu went on to say that he tried to reach out to Wike and others for protection, but that his efforts were futile, and that Atiku is a dangerous man who should not be underestimated.

A friend, sharing the news of his demise, expressed heartbreak, recounting the futile attempts by medical professionals to revive him.

After her futile appeal to revive their marriage, Mary leaves him.

And maybe the one true through line of history is that stupid people will always follow stupid people, whistling on the way to our meaningless, futile deaths.

But after three futile rounds of fertility treatment we decided to stop.

But forced to wait six balls, the 40-year-old’s latest attempt was met with a stout forward defensive from Daryl Mitchell amid a commendably defiant – if futile – 57 not out.

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Dedan's youngest daughter, Evalyne Wanjogu, described her mother's struggle to find closure on the whereabouts of her husbands remains as futile quest that ran for decades.

Efforts to beautify the pillars of Gandhipuram flyover turn futile, as fresh posters of a political party cropped up on them recently.

Efforts to get the spokesperson for the New Nigeria Peoples Party were futile as he did not pick up his calls as of the time of filing this report.

Efforts to reach the state Police Command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, for comment, proved futile, as calls did not go through to her line and she has not responded to a message sent to her on the matter as of the time of filing this report.

Even Tony Blair, who has always gone out of his way to remain in lock step with the White House, felt the need to issue a gentle warning to Biden that it would be 'futile' for him to try to pressure the DUP back in to Stormont.

He became a lightning rod for supporters and his departure is perhaps an admission that it would be futile to even attempt to win them over.

He claims last Thursday he was told by Royal Brompton Hospital that he needs a heart transplant, but such a procedure would be futile while he is still exposed to conditions exacerbating his ill health.

He says the past few weeks in the capital have strengthened his resolve to push forward and no longer accept the status quo — or futile standoffs with police back home as the best way to change it.

His pathetic attempts were futile, and he was brought back to face the consequences.

However, the mother to the victim’s tried to rescue them but her efforts proved futile.

If Taiwan surrenders before US forces can be brought to bear, the rest is futile,” the report said.

I have given up on the futile practice of wishing the Parkinson’s away, or trying to hide it, and realised that I have so much to be thankful for, not the least, the empathy for others living with PD.

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Common combinations with futile

These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:

Frequently asked questions

How do you use "futile" in a sentence?
An example: "Publicly, I know it is now futile, and worse than futile, to defend it, so I have reluctantly chosen silence." This page contains 10+ example sentences with the word "futile" from authentic English texts.
What does "futile" mean?
Futile means: Incapable of producing results, useless; doomed not to be successful; not worth attempting.
What are synonyms of "futile"?
Common synonyms of "futile" include: ineffectual, otiose, unavailing, useless, bootless, fruitless, sleeveless, vain. Plus 1 more synonyms.
How many example sentences with "futile" are there?
Voorbeeldzinnen.info contains at least 10+ example sentences with "futile", drawn from a database of millions of English sentences.