useful

[ yoos-fuhl ]

adjective

1. being of use or service; serving some purpose; advantageous, helpful, or of good effect:

   a useful member of society.

   Synonyms: beneficial, efficacious, profitable

   Antonyms: useless

2. of practical use, as for doing work; producing material results; supplying common needs:

   the useful arts; useful work.

   Synonyms: beneficial, efficacious, profitable

   Antonyms: useless

useful

/ ˈjuːsfʊl /

adjective

1. able to be used advantageously, beneficially, or for several purposes; helpful or serviceable
2. informal.
   commendable or capable

   a useful term's work

noun

1. informal.
   an odd-jobman or general factotum

Derived Forms

• ˈusefulness, noun
• ˈusefully, adverb

Other Words From

• useful·ly adverb
• useful·ness noun
• un·useful adjective
• un·useful·ly adverb
• un·useful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of useful¹

First recorded in 1585–95; use + -ful

Example Sentences

Tapping these discs and plates generates useful voltage that if amplified could be used to charge electronic devices using everyday forces.

From Science Daily

You need to be useful to your community and not an ideology.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Adorable, but quite useful in a fight if needed.”

From New York Times

Any useful parts from Hebridean Isles will end up in a large CalMac warehouse in Gourock - an Aladdin's cave of ferry equipment that is used to keep the fleet going.

From BBC

The new method could be useful for a variety of applications, he adds.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• advantageous
• appropriate
• convenient
• effective
• favorable
• fruitful
• good
• handy
• helpful
• practical
• pragmatic
• profitable
• proper
• suitable