meaningless

[ mee-ning-lis ]

adjective

1. without meaning, mean, meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeless; insignificant:

   a meaningless reply; a meaningless existence.

meaningless

/ ˈmiːnɪŋlɪs /

adjective

1. futile or empty of meaning

Derived Forms

• ˈmeaninglessness, noun
• ˈmeaninglessly, adverb

Other Words From

• meaning·less·ly adverb
• meaning·less·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of meaningless¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; meaning + -less

Example Sentences

To them, the court ruling is meaningless, she says.

From BBC

Syphard worries that a perception that home hardening is meaningless could result in residents not taking key steps to prepare their homes.

From Los Angeles Times

"Distance, borders and languages are meaningless to criminals. This is why collaborations with Interpol have never been as important as they are today."

From BBC

Five weeks ago I ripped the Dodgers for a champagne celebration after something as meaningless as just winning the division.

From Los Angeles Times

Earlier this month, the state justices refused to rule on whether it was unconstitutional to reject these otherwise valid votes for what one judge described as meaningless paperwork errors.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• absurd
• empty
• futile
• hollow
• inconsequential
• insignificant
• pointless
• senseless
• trivial
• unimportant
• useless
• vague
• worthless