inutility

Roget category 645

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

#645. Inutility

noun

inutility — uselessness etc. adj. — inefficacy^†, futility — ineptitude, inaptitude — unsubservience^† — inadequacy etc. (insufficiency) 640 — inefficiency, etc. (incompetence) 158 — unskillfulness etc. 699 — disservice — unfruitfulness etc. (unproductiveness).. 169 — labor in vain, labor lost, labor of Sisyphus — lost trouble, lost labor — work of Penelope — sleeveless errand, wild goose chase, mere farce.
tautology etc. (repetition) 104 — supererogation etc. (redundancy) 641.
vanitas vanitatum [Lat.], vanity, inanity, worthlessness, nugacity^† — triviality etc. (unimportance) 643.
caput mortuum [Lat.], waste paper, dead letter — blunt tool.
litter, rubbish, junk, lumber, odds and ends, cast-off clothes — button top — shoddy — rags, orts^†, trash, refuse, sweepings, scourings, offscourings^†, waste, rubble, debris, detritus — stubble, leavings — broken meat — dregs etc. (dirt) 653 — weeds, tares — rubbish heap, dust hole — rudera^†, deads^†.
fruges consumere natus [Lat.] [Horace]. etc. (drone) 683

verb

be useless etc. adj. — go a begging etc. (redundant) 641 — fail etc. 732.
seek after impossibilities, strive after impossibilities — use 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 sand — bay the moon — preach to the winds, speak to the winds — whistle jigs to a milestone — kick 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) 135 — hold a farthing candle to the sun — cast pearls before swine etc. (waste) 638 — carry coals to Newcastle etc. (redundancy) 641 — wash a blackamoor white etc. (impossible) 471.
render useless etc. adj. — dismantle, dismast, dismount, disqualify, disable — unrig — cripple, lame etc. (injure) 659 — spike guns, clip the wings — put out of gear.

adjective

useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootless — inoperative etc. 158 — inadequate etc. (insufficient) 640 — inservient^†, unsubservient — inept, inefficient etc. (impotent) 158 — of no avail etc. (use) 644 — ineffectual etc. (failure) 732 — incompetent etc. (unskillful) 699 — stale, flat and unprofitable;" superfluous etc. (redundant) 641 — dispensable — thrown away etc. (wasted) 638 — abortive etc. (immature) 674.
worthless, valueless, priceless — unsalable — not worth a straw etc. (trifling) 643, dear at any price.
vain, empty, inane — gainless^†, profitless, fruitless — unserviceable, unprofitable — ill-spent — unproductive etc. 169 — hors de combat [Fr.] — effete, past work etc. (impaired) 659 — obsolete etc. (old) 124 — fit for the dust hole — good for nothing — of no earthly use — not worth having, not worth powder and shot — leading to no end, uncalled for — unnecessary, 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.

debug info: 0.0006