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pointlessly

pointlessly

4 4.3
In a way that has no purpose or use
  • adverb
  • /ˈpɔɪnt.ləs.li/
translation icon : sin sentido
  • But, you know, and I, I still find a great deal of it to be kind of pointlessly obscure and so forth.
  • pointlessly and needlessly
  • pointlessly elaborate
  • moving pointlessly

I do something useful while it's plugged in, sleep, eat, flirt with my wife pointlessly.

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Examples

  • He died, pointlessly, stupidly... waiting for heroes to save the day.

  • Why were we continuing on down stubbornly, pointlessly towards our own graves?

  • Looking down at me, she started talking pointlessly about something, anything.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I wanted to say I was sorry for having pointlessly disturbed him.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • So you teach them to be pointlessly paranoid of strangers.

    Blog text (21)
  • It's all a lie," she repeats pointlessly.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • "Every year, several million people are killed quite pointlessly by epidemics and other natural catastrophes."

    Fiction book (1991)
  • "You'll see him later," you say, pointlessly, knowing Oliver's already going to be late for school.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • We have drained Europe's resources and millions have died pointlessly.

  • She spent hours pointlessly scrolling through social media without any real purpose.

Synonyms

unnecessarily
vspointlessly
48 3.7

Without a good reason

focuses on lacking meaning or usefulness rather than merely being unnecessary
idly
vspointlessly
37 3.7

To act in a lazy way without a clear purpose

refers to lack of meaning or usefulness rather than passive laziness
needlessly
vspointlessly
34 3.9

Without a good reason

stresses absence of purpose or meaning rather than just lack of necessity
aimlessly
vspointlessly
24 3.7

Without a clear purpose, direction, or plan

concerns absence of meaning or usefulness rather than only missing direction
vainly
vspointlessly
5 5.5

In a way that does not succeed

emphasizes lack of meaning or purpose rather than only unsuccessful outcome
senselessly
vspointlessly
4 6.0

In a way that has no good reason or purpose

concerns absence of meaning while also stressing lack of reason
uselessly
vspointlessly
4 3.5

In a way that does not help or make any difference

highlights lack of meaning or purpose rather than only failure to help
futilely
vspointlessly
3 7.4

In a way that does not make a difference

stresses absence of meaning or purpose rather than only failed result
fruitlessly
vspointlessly
2 6.0

In a way that does not succeed

focuses on lack of purpose or meaning rather than mere failure
inanely
vspointlessly
1 7.3

In a silly way that has no real purpose

expresses lack of meaning or purpose without the silly or foolish tone
meaninglessly
vspointlessly
1 5.9

In a way that has no clear purpose or reason

focuses more on lack of usefulness or practical purpose
unproductively
vspointlessly
1 6.7

In a way that fails to get useful results

is about lacking purpose or meaning rather than just low productivity
worthlessly
vspointlessly
1 6.5

In a way that has no value or use

focuses on lack of purpose or meaning rather than only lacking value
inconsequentially
vspointlessly
1 8.2

In a way that is not important and has no effect

focuses on lacking purpose or meaning rather than only low importance
nonsensically
vspointlessly
1 6.5

In a way that is not logical or clear

focuses on absence of purpose or usefulness rather than solely being illogical
purposelessly
vspointlessly
7.1

Doing something without a clear aim or plan

emphasizes lack of meaning or usefulness beyond just missing aim
immaterially
vspointlessly
8.0

Not important and not likely to change the result

is about absence of purpose or usefulness rather than mere irrelevance
inconsequently
vspointlessly
8.3

In a way not connected to the main topic

concerns lack of general meaning or usefulness rather than only logical relevance

Antonyms

31 3.9

To act in a determined way to reach a clear goal

13 3.6

In a way that shows someone wants to send a clear message

How Pointless

pointlessly
4 4.3
senselessly
4 6.0
futilely
3 7.4
usefully
5 1.1
purposefully
31 3.9

Surface Forms

pointlessly positive

Morphology

pointlessly = pointless (transparent) = point + less + ly

The adverb is formed by adding '-ly' to the adjective 'pointless', a straightforward derivation indicating manner.

Etymology

Pointlessly comes from point + -less + -ly, where point can mean a 'sharp end' or a 'purpose' and -less means 'without'. A helpful image is a pencil with no tip: it cannot do its job, so doing something pointlessly is doing it 'without purpose' or 'without reason'.