unavailing

Examples

• All

• However, when it found that its efforts at friendly persuasion of union leaders proved unavailing, it voted to secure legal advice concerning the rights and privileges of a religious organization in this matter.

  Academic text (1998)

• And this too, thus far has proved unavailing with regard to malaria.

• It is the option that Russian politicians cite regularly, especially when all else seems unavailing.

  Academic text (2001)

• Reliance on categorical platitudes is unavailing.

  Academic text (1996)

• Corporate lobbying to arrest this race towards escalating liability verdicts through a national products liability law has proven unavailing for over two decades.

  Academic text (2002)

• Though it did impose order, waterfall was an unavailing solution to rising costs because of its dependence on requirements being known in advance, inflexibility, and overreliance on documentation.

  Academic text (2017)

• Despite their best intentions, the team's attempts to fix the software were ultimately unavailing.

• All her pleas for assistance went unavailing, leaving her to solve the problem alone.

Synonyms

I

in vain

vsunavailing

108 3.7

Without success despite trying to do something

describes the same lack of result but as an adjective rather than phrase

I

ineffective

vsunavailing

90 3.4

Not working well enough to give the wanted result

is described as failing and also emphasises futility rather than process

F

futile

vsunavailing

84 6.0

Not likely to work or help

shares pointlessness but can be used more generally for failed attempts

U

unsuccessful

vsunavailing

76 2.9

Not getting the result someone wants

stresses lack of success with an added sense of futility

F

fruitless

vsunavailing

24 4.8

Not giving the results you want

is similar but often used to stress wasted attempts

U

unproductive

vsunavailing

21 3.8

Not giving useful or wanted results

is closer to failure of effect rather than low productivity

I

ineffectual

vsunavailing

18 6.8

Not able to produce the result wanted

focuses more on the lack of success than on lacking power

A

abortive

vsunavailing

5 7.7

It does not produce the result people want

covers the same failure but with stronger sense of pointlessness

N

nonproductive

vsunavailing

2 4.5

Not giving useful results or helping to finish work, like a meeting

is about failing to produce a result rather than lacking output

U

unprevailing

vsunavailing

1 8.4

Not successful at making something happen

focuses on general ineffectiveness without the opposition emphasis

N

noneffective

vsunavailing

5.9

Not producing the intended result

is used more for general failure with a sense of wasted effort

U

unworking

vsunavailing

7.2

Not producing the intended result

highlights the absence of success rather than the trial's mechanics

O

otiose

vsunavailing

• Formal

9.9

Useless and not needed

relates to failed effectiveness but with a stronger sense of uselessness

B

to brought to nought

vsunavailing

• Archaic

7.9

Make something fail completely so it has no effect

covers failure too but does not always imply complete nullification

Antonyms

E

effective

986 3.1

Produces the intended result, for example a speech or medicine

F

fruitful

43 3.9

Producing good, useful results

How Effective

successful

∞ 1.6

effective

986 3.1

unavailing

1 8.2

futile

84 6.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology