noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/fjuːˈtɪlɪti/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/fjuˈtɪləti/
rhymes with -ɪlɪti
CMU ARPABET:F Y UW0 T IH1 L AH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The quality of being futile or useless.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
an exercise of futility
His taking the bar exam for a third time was pure futility.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Something, especially an act, that is futile.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Unimportance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
