fruitless

/'fru:tlis/

Thân thiện

The detective's fruitless search left him with no clues.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Unproductive of success; failing to achieve the desired results or any positive outcome: Describing efforts, attempts, or activities that do not lead to success or a useful result.
   • Literally, not bearing fruit: In a botanical sense, describing a plant or tree that does not produce fruit. This meaning is less common in general usage.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • After a fruitless day of searching, they still hadn't found the missing keys.
  • The negotiations proved fruitless, and the strike continued.
  • All his fruitless attempts to fix the old computer only wasted more time.

Advanced Usage

• "to be fruitless": to be without useful result.
  • The investigation was fruitless; no new evidence was discovered.
• "to render something fruitless": to cause something to be unsuccessful.
  • The sudden rain rendered our plans for a picnic fruitless.

Variants and Related Words

• Fruitlessly (adverb): in a way that does not produce good results.
  • They searched fruitlessly for a solution.
• Fruitlessness (noun): the quality or state of being fruitless.
  • He was frustrated by the fruitlessness of the debate.

Synonyms

• Futile: incapable of producing any useful result; pointless.
• Vain: producing no result; useless.
• Unsuccessful: not achieving success.
• Unproductive: not producing or achieving a significant amount or result.
• Bootless (archaic/literary): (of a task or undertaking) ineffectual; useless.

Antonyms

• Fruitful: producing good or helpful results; productive.
• Successful: accomplishing a desired aim or result.
• Productive: achieving or producing a significant amount or result.
• Effective: successful in producing a desired or intended result.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• A wild goose chase: A futile search or pursuit; a hopeless enterprise. This idiom is conceptually similar to a fruitless endeavor.
  • Looking for that old book in these shops is a wild goose chase.
• To beat one's head against a wall: To try repeatedly to do something with no success. This describes a fruitless effort.
  • Trying to convince him is like beating my head against a wall.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. unproductive of success
   • a fruitless search
   • futile years after her artistic peak
   • a sleeveless errand
   • a vain attempt

Từ đồng nghĩa

• bootless
• futile
• sleeveless
• vain