Meanings
adverbuselessly (comparative more uselessly, superlative most uselessly)
comparative more uselessly · superlative most uselessly
- In a useless manner.
- To no useful purpose.
Mr. Civil, warned and guided by distant axe-whangs, had found them, and had been unsparing in his condemnation of Jim's stupid waste of time in coming an unnecessary mile to chop down a tree uselessly far away.
1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 213
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbin a useless manner
Opposite
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃eyt-der.?
- Proto-Italic*oitōr
- Latinūtor
- Latinūsus
- Old Frenchus
- Middle Englishuse
- Englishuse
- Proto-Indo-European*lewh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*lewHs-
- Proto-Germanic*leusaną
- Proto-Germanic*lausaz
- Englishuseless
- Englishuselessly
Translations
Catalan inútilment
- inútilmentin a useless manner
Esperanto senutile
- senutilein a useless manner
Finnish turhasti, kelvottomasti
- turhastiin a useless manner
- kelvottomastiin a useless manner
- turhaanto no useful purpose
French inutilement
- inutilementto no useful purpose
Polish bezużytecznie, bezużytecznie
- bezużyteczniein a useless manner
- bezużytecznieto no useful purpose
Portuguese inutilmente
- inutilmentein a useless manner
Scottish Gaelic gun fheum, gun fheum
- gun fheumin a useless manner
- gun fheumto no useful purpose
Spanish inútilmente
- inútilmentein a useless manner
Cite this entry
APA
uselessly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uselessly
MLA
“uselessly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uselessly. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “uselessly,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uselessly.
Source: uselessly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.