futile

futile
    adj 1: producing no result or effect; "a futile effort"; "the
           therapy was ineffectual"; "an otiose undertaking"; "an
           unavailing attempt" [syn: {futile}, {ineffectual},
           {otiose}, {unavailing}]
    2: unproductive of success; "a fruitless search"; "futile years
       after her artistic peak"; "a sleeveless errand"; "a vain
       attempt" [syn: {bootless}, {fruitless}, {futile},
       {sleeveless}, {vain}]
    

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.]
   1. Talkative; loquacious; tattling. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Talkers and futile persons.           --Bacon.
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   2. Of no importance; having no useful purpose; useless; vain;
      worthless; pointless. "Futile theories." --I. Taylor.
      [1913 Webster]

            His reasoning . . . was singularly futile.
                                                  --Macaulay.
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147 Moby Thesaurus words for "futile":
      abortive, absurd, airy, apish, asinine, bad, barren, batty,
      befooled, beguiled, besotted, bootless, brainless, buffoonish,
      catchpenny, cockeyed, counterproductive, crazy, credulous, daffy,
      daft, dazed, dizzy, doomed, doting, dumb, effete, empty, etiolated,
      failed, failing, fatuitous, fatuous, feckless, flaky, flimsy, fond,
      fool, foolheaded, foolish, foredoomed, fribble, fribbling,
      frivolous, frothy, fruitless, fuddled, gaga, goofy, gulled, hollow,
      idiotic, idle, ill-advised, ill-considered, ill-suited, ill-timed,
      imbecile, impolitic, impotent, improper, in vain, inadequate,
      inadvisable, inane, inappropriate, inapt, incongruous, ineffective,
      ineffectual, inefficacious, inefficient, inept, inexpedient,
      infatuated, infelicitous, inoperative, inopportune, insane,
      insufficient, invalid, kooky, lame, light, loony, mad,
      mal a propos, malapropos, manque, maudlin, miscarried, miscarrying,
      moronic, nugacious, nugatory, nutty, of no effect, of no force,
      otiose, out of place, profitless, sappy, screwy, senseless,
      sentimental, shallow, silly, slender, slight, sterile, stickit,
      stillborn, stupid, successless, superficial, thoughtless, trifling,
      trite, trivial, unavailable, unavailing, unbefitting, undesirable,
      unfit, unfitting, unfortunate, unhappy, unmeet, unproductive,
      unprofitable, unsatisfactory, unseasonable, unseemly, unsuccessful,
      unsuitable, untimely, unwise, useless, vacuous, vain, vapid, wacky,
      wet, windy, witless, worthless, wrong