exercise in futility

noun

A course of action doomed to be futile.

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Meanings

nounexercise in futility (plural exercises in futility)

plural exercises in futility

  1. A course of action doomed to be futile.

    Many feel that the continued war in Afghanistan is nothing more than an exercise in futility - and with good reason.

    2009 August 8, Tahereh Ghanaati, “The War in Afghanistan: An Exercise in Futility”, in Press TV

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
wild-goose chase
Cite this entry
APA

exercise in futility. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exercise%20in%20futility

MLA

“exercise in futility.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exercise%20in%20futility. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “exercise in futility,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exercise%20in%20futility.

Source: exercise in futility on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.