adj · 3 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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˈwɝθləs/
General-American:/ˈwɝθlɪs/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈwɜːθləs/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:W ER1 TH L AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Having no worth or use; without value.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Don’t be a worthless slouch! Go get yourself a job.
Lies are as important as truth, for without lies, the truth is worthless.
The committee’s decision is worthless and not going to be acted upon.
From Middle English *worthles, from Old English weorþlēas (“worthless”), equivalent to worth + -less. Cognate with Dutch waardeloos (“worthless”), German wertlos (“worthless”), Swedish värdelös (“worthless”).
Across languages
Translations
110 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
waardeloos
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Arabic:
لَا قِيمَةَ لَهُ
(lā qīmata lahu)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Arabic:
حَقِير
(ḥaqīr)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Azerbaijani:
həqir
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Azerbaijani:
dəyərsiz
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Bulgarian:
непотребен
(nepotreben)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Bulgarian:
без стойност
(bez stojnost)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Catalan:
inútil
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Chinese Mandarin:
沒價值 /没价值
(méijiàzhí)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Chinese Mandarin:
不值錢 /不值钱
(bùzhíqián)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Chinese Mandarin:
無用 /无用
(wúyòng)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Czech:
bezcenný
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Danish:
tarvelig
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Danish:
ubrugelig
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Danish:
værdiløs
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Dutch:
waardeloos
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Esperanto:
senvalora
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Esperanto:
aĉa
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Esperanto:
senutila
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Estonian:
väärtusetu
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Finnish:
arvoton
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Finnish:
hyödytön
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Finnish:
turha
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
French:
misérable
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
French:
ne vaut rien
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
French:
nul
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
French:
sans valeur
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Georgian:
უსარგებლო
(usargeblo)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Georgian:
უვარგისი
(uvargisi)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Georgian:
გამოუსადეგარი
(gamousadegari)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Georgian:
უფასური
(upasuri)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
German:
wertlos
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
German:
nutzlos
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
German:
nichtsnutzig
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Greek:
ανάξιος
(anáxios)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Greek:
άχρηστος
(áchristos)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Greek:
τιποτένιος
(tipoténios)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Ancient Greek:
μάταιος
(mátaios)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Ancient Greek:
οὐτιδανός
(outidanós)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Hausa:
marasa amfani
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Hebrew:
חסר ערך
(ḥɑsɑr ereḥ)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Hebrew:
חסר תועלת
(ḥɑsɑr toʿelet)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Hebrew:
עלוב
(ʿɑluv)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Hindi:
असार
(asār)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Hindi:
बेकार
(bekār)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Hungarian:
értéktelen
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Ido:
senvalora
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Igbo:
abaghi uru
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Interlingua:
sin valor
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Irish:
galair
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Italian:
inutile
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Italian:
insignificante
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Italian:
senza valore
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Japanese:
詰まらない
(tsumaranai)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Japanese:
無価値な
(mukachi na)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Japanese:
軽賎な
(keisen na)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Kazakh:
бағаламадың
(bağalamadyñ)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Kazakh:
құндылығы жоқ
(qūndylyğy joq)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Korean:
가치없는
(gachieomneun)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Korean:
보잘것없는
(bojalgeodeomneun)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Central Kurdish:
ھیچوپوچ
(hîçupuç)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Latin:
inūtilis
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Latin:
nēquam
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Lithuanian:
bevertis
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Luxembourgish:
wäertlos
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Macedonian:
беско́рисен
(beskórisen)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Macedonian:
бе́звреден
(bézvreden)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Māori:
hakihakiā
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Māori:
taitāhae
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Norwegian Bokmål:
verdiløs
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Norwegian Bokmål:
verdilaus
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Norwegian Bokmål:
ubrukelig
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Norwegian Nynorsk:
verdilaus
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Norwegian Nynorsk:
verdlaus
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Pashto:
بې کاره
(be kâra)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Polish:
bezwartościowy
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Portuguese:
sem valor
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Portuguese:
inútil
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Russian:
ничего́ не сто́я́щий
(ničevó ne stójáščij)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Russian:
бесполе́зный
(bespoléznyj)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Russian:
никчёмный
(nikčómnyj)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Russian:
никуды́шный
(nikudýšnyj)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Sanskrit:
असार
(asāra)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Scots:
guidless
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Serbo-Croatian:
бе̏звриједан
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Serbo-Croatian:
bȅzvrijedan
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Spanish:
sin valor
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Spanish:
sin ningún valor
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Spanish:
despreciable
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Spanish:
no tener valor
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Spanish:
no tener ningún valor
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Spanish:
no valer nada
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Spanish:
desvalorado
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Spanish:
desvalorizado
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Spanish:
cativo
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Sundanese:
teu aya hargana
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Swedish:
värdelös
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Tagalog:
walang kwenta
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Tamil:
உதவாக்கரை
(utavākkarai)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Telugu:
విలువ లేని
(viluva lēni)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Telugu:
కొరగాని
(koragāni)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Turkish:
değersiz
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Turkish:
kıymetsiz
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Turkish:
naçiz
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Ottoman Turkish:
دكرسز
(değersiz)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Uzbek:
qiymatsiz
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Vietnamese:
vô giá trị
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Yiddish:
אָן אַ ווערט
(on a vert)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Yiddish:
ווערטלאָז
(vertloz)
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
Yoruba:
aláìníláárí
— not having worth and use; without value — see also inconsequential, useless
