Basic Details
Word: Futile
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Having no chance of success; useless and a waste of effort.
Synonyms: useless, pointless, vain, fruitless
Antonyms: useful, fruitful, worthwhile, effective
How to Spell Futile
Syllables: fu - tile
Tricky part: The ending is -ile, spelt like tile, even though it can be said as fyoo-tile or fyoo-tl. There is only one t.
Watch out for: futil, futtile, fewtile
Memory tip: Trying to fix a cracked floor tile with sticky tape is futile: fu + tile.
Usage Examples
Example 1: All our efforts to start the old scooter were futile.
Example 2: It is futile to study the night before if you have not revised all term.
Example 3: The goalkeeper made a futile dive as the ball flew into the top corner.
Fun Fact
The Latin futilis meant leaky and was used of a pot that could not hold water, a good picture of effort that runs away to nothing.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of 'futile' as it is used in the sentence:
His attempts to persuade the stubborn shopkeeper to lower the price were futile.
a) pointless
b) tiring
c) useless
d) fruitful
Show answer
d) fruitful. Futile efforts get nowhere; fruitful ones bear fruit.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
It is liteuf to argue with someone who refuses to listen to reason.
a) futile
b) flute
c) fulfil
d) fertile
Show answer
a) futile. Fertile needs an r, fulfil needs two f's and flute has no i; the six letters make futile.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Arguing with the umpire was futil, because the third umpire had already checked the replay twice before giving the batsman out.
a) batsman
b) umpire
c) replay
d) futil
Show answer
d) futil. Futile finishes with the word tile, e and all.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Pouring water into a bucket full of holes is ____.
a) careful
b) futile
c) useful
d) wise
Show answer
b) futile
2. Which of these attempts is futile?
a) trying to catch the wind in a net
b) watering plants on a dry day
c) asking a teacher for help
d) reading notes before a test
Show answer
a) trying to catch the wind in a net
