Futility
/fjuːˈtɪl.ə.ti/noun
The quality of being pointless or incapable of producing any useful result.
Did you know?Its deeper ancestry runs through Latin words for emptiness and worthlessness, which is why it feels like a word for effort that evaporates into nothing.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
futilis
“leaky, vain, worthless”
Latin
Latin
futilitas
“worthlessness, uselessness”
Late Latin
Latin
futilitate-
“state of being futile”
14th–15th Century
English
futilite
“uselessness, worthlessness”
Modern English
English
futility
“the quality of being pointless or incapable of success”