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inutility

Roget category 645

5. Words relating to the voluntary powers
5.2. Prospective volition
›› 5.2.2. Subservience to ends

#645. Inutility

noun

inutilityuselessness etc. adj. — inefficacy, futilityineptitude, inaptitudeunsubservienceinadequacy etc. (insufficiency) 640inefficiency, etc. (incompetence) 158unskillfulness etc. 699disserviceunfruitfulness etc. (unproductiveness).. 169labor in vain, labor lost, labor of Sisyphuslost trouble, lost laborwork of Penelopesleeveless errand, wild goose chase, mere farce.
tautology etc. (repetition) 104supererogation etc. (redundancy) 641.
vanitas vanitatum [Lat.], vanity, inanity, worthlessness, nugacitytriviality etc. (unimportance) 643.
caput mortuum [Lat.], waste paper, dead letterblunt tool.
litter, rubbish, junk, lumber, odds and ends, cast-off clothesbutton topshoddyrags, orts, trash, refuse, sweepings, scourings, offscourings, waste, rubble, debris, detritusstubble, leavingsbroken meatdregs etc. (dirt) 653weeds, taresrubbish heap, dust holerudera, deads.
fruges consumere natus [Lat.] [Horace]. etc. (drone) 683

verb

be useless etc. adj. — go a begging etc. (redundant) 641fail etc. 732.
seek after impossibilities, strive after impossibilitiesuse vain efforts, labor in vain, roll the stone of Sisyphus, beat the air, lash the waves, battre l'eau avec un baton [Fr.], donner un coup d'epee dans l'eau [Fr.], fish in the air, milk the ram, drop a bucket into an empty well, sow the sandbay the moonpreach to the winds, speak to the windswhistle jigs to a milestonekick against the pricks, se battre contre des moulins [Fr.]lock the stable door when the steed is stolen, lock the barn door after the horse is stolen etc. (too late) 135hold a farthing candle to the suncast pearls before swine etc. (waste) 638carry coals to Newcastle etc. (redundancy) 641wash a blackamoor white etc. (impossible) 471.
render useless etc. adj. — dismantle, dismast, dismount, disqualify, disableunrigcripple, lame etc. (injure) 659spike guns, clip the wingsput out of gear.

adjective

useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootlessinoperative etc. 158inadequate etc. (insufficient) 640inservient, unsubservientinept, inefficient etc. (impotent) 158of no avail etc. (use) 644ineffectual etc. (failure) 732incompetent etc. (unskillful) 699stale, flat and unprofitable;" superfluous etc. (redundant) 641dispensablethrown away etc. (wasted) 638abortive etc. (immature) 674.
worthless, valueless, pricelessunsalablenot worth a straw etc. (trifling) 643, dear at any price.
vain, empty, inanegainless, profitless, fruitlessunserviceable, unprofitableill-spentunproductive etc. 169hors de combat [Fr.]effete, past work etc. (impaired) 659obsolete etc. (old) 124fit for the dust holegood for nothingof no earthly usenot worth having, not worth powder and shotleading to no end, uncalled forunnecessary, unneeded.

adverb

uselessly etc. adj. — to little purpose, to no purpose, to little or no purpose.

interjection

cui bono [Lat.] —? what's the good!,

phrase

actum ne agas [Lat.]chercher une aiguille dans une botte de chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin [Fr.]tanto buon che val niente [It].

The content on this page comes straight from Project Gutenberg Etext of Roget's Thesaurus No. Two, which consists of the acclaimed work by Peter Mark Roget augmented with more recent material. Some changes were made to the formatting for improved readability.

Bold numbers signify related Roget categories. A dagger symbol (†) indicates archaic words and expressions no longer in common use.

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