How to Use futile in a Sentence

futile

adjective
  • All our efforts proved futile.
  • Some days that hope can seem futile.
    — Douglas Brinkley, CBS News, 28 June 2026
  • The fight against short-term rentals, after all, can be futile.
    — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 6 June 2025
  • To complain about cramps was futile.
    — Nami Mun, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
  • On the biggest lot, he soon got stuck in a futile cul-de-sac of trucks.
    — Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2021
  • That last-ditch effort proved futile.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Uso’s conquest proved to be futile.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2026
  • When stress spikes, the idea of taking a deep breath can seem like a futile life hack.
    — Juli Fraga, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
  • One detainee kicks the bars in a futile attempt to force the door open.
    — Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2023
  • The tiger slowly moved its paws in a futile attempt to block the blows.
    — New York Times, 26 July 2019
  • Some lessons take a long and seemingly futile amount of time to learn.
    — David G. Allan, CNN, 2 Feb. 2023
  • In such a case, resistance is not futile, for the virus that is.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 30 June 2022
  • No more spin and no more futile attempts to put toothpaste back in the tube.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 9 July 2024
  • Amazing tools that cannot reach the patients who need them are futile.
    — Daniel Torrent, STAT, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Like all good galas, the pomp and circumstance are not futile.
    — Isiah Magsino, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2022
  • Her attempts to take him out with her knife-throwing skills prove futile.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 5 June 2024
  • Those efforts were futile, too.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Any attempt to be quiet would be futile.
    — Jim Tschetter, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2025
  • But grappling with what’s ahead seems futile for others.
    — Toqa Ezzidin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
  • The task must feel futile for Oregon State fans on game days.
    — oregonlive, 29 Sep. 2019
  • Tense up, mistime the jump, overlean — all futile.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Hao might have been packing for a life of exile or a futile trip to the airport.
    — Han Zhang, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023
  • By that measure, no other team in the majors has been so futile.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Brekke was called out on the night the ship sank in a futile effort of recovery.
    — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 27 Dec. 2018
  • Diego said he was left with the impression that speaking out would be futile.
    — Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2021
  • That, however, would prove to be futile.
    — Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
  • How futile was just about anything Tech tried on offense?
    — Kevin Sherrington jan. 1, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
  • The court fights all proved futile, however.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The act was stupid and futile, yet heroic and life-affirming.
    — Rabih Alameddine september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Even with the spotlight, Méndez said the debate feels futile.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 14 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'futile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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