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Word a Day

futility

noun · /fjuˈtɪləti/ · Level 3 · Advanced

What does futility mean?

futility (noun): uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result.

Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.

How do you pronounce futility?

/fjuˈtɪləti/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.

Where does futility come from?

From Latin fūtilitās (“worthlessness, futility”).

Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Words related to futility

From Princeton WordNet 3.1.

Test yourself: do you know “futility”?

Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.

What does “futility” mean?

a wish or urge, particularly a sudden one prompting action

Not quite: that's what impulse means.

an individual instance that represents a class; an example

Not quite: that's what specimen means.

a gathering of persons representative of some larger group

Not quite: that's what contingent means.

uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result

Right! That's what “futility” means.

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