meaningless

adjective

mean·​ing·​less ˈmē-niŋ-ləs How to pronounce meaningless (audio)
Synonyms of meaninglessnext
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

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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Employees were reportedly running AI agents on meaningless tasks to inflate their token count and climb an unofficial internal AI leaderboard called Kirorank. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026 The Rays added a meaningless garbage time run in the bottom of the ninth, but Milwaukee takes a commanding 3-0 series lead, and is well on their way to the organization's first ever championship. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026 Advertisement That does not make the markets emerging around lionfish, green crab, ta’ape, and carp meaningless. — Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026 Quantum Systems That doesn't make the flight of the Apex Recordhunter a meaningless milestone. — David Szondy october 20, New Atlas, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for meaningless

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of meaningless was in 1796

Browse Nearby Words

meaningfulness
meaningless
mean life
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Meaningless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meaningless. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

meaningless

adjective
mean·​ing·​less ˈmē-niŋ-ləs How to pronounce meaningless (audio)
1
: having no meaning or significance
meaningless chatter
2
: lacking motive
a meaningless murder
meaninglessly adverb
meaninglessness noun
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