meaningless

adjective

mean·​ing·​less ˈmē-niŋ-ləs 

1

: having no meaning

especially : lacking any significance

felt his work was meaningless

2

: having no assigned function in a language system

meaninglessly adverb

meaninglessness noun

Synonyms of meaningless

• pointless
• absurd
• stupid
• inane
• silly
• irrational
• empty
• foolish

Examples of meaningless in a Sentence

He felt that his work was meaningless.

The movie was filled with meaningless violence.

Recent Examples on the Web

Abraham Lincoln tried in vain to disavow the Confederacy’s interpretation of the Declaration as rendering the Constitution meaningless. —Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

What leaders are responsible for is having difficult conversations, setting boundaries, explaining their decisions, and protecting their people’s time and energy from meaningless suffering. —Big Think, 4 May 2026

If the first month of the season is a small sample, a single series is essentially meaningless. —Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 4 May 2026

Changing the reporting structure from LAHSA to a county department is meaningless if the underlying approach remains the same. —Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 4 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

meaningless

adjective

mean·​ing·​less ˈmē-niŋ-ləs 

1

: having no meaning or significance

meaningless chatter

2

: lacking motive

a meaningless murder

meaninglessly adverb

meaninglessness noun