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useful

useful

947 1.0
Helps you do practical tasks or solve a problem
  • adjective
  • /ˈjuːs.fəl/
translation icon : útil
  • She found the tips on time management to be useful in her studies.
  • a useful tool
  • provide useful information
  • useful information

And what makes it useful is the space.

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Examples

  • OK, now that is a really useful piece of technology.

  • So I thought it would be useful to think of one example.

  • And what makes it useful is the space.

  • And this is actually useful for doing theory.

  • So let me explain why this would be very useful in science.

  • And the most useful advice is to tell them.

  • This is the most useful way to cut.

  • We just hope it will be useful as do all of us.

  • The Baby Steps program has been useful in other ways as well.

    Academic text (2011)
  • A four-legged walker, for example, is useful for rolling or walking over debris.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

helpful
vsuseful
689 1.0

Willing to give support and useful advice

focuses on practical service or use rather than personal willingness to help
valuable
vsuseful
526 2.5

Very useful and important, for example advice or skills

describes practical service rather than high monetary or social worth
handy
vsuseful
205 1.0

Useful and easy to use when you need it

covers general practical benefit rather than mere convenience or availability
beneficial
vsuseful
138 3.4

Making something better or producing a good result

stresses practical usefulness rather than outcome improvement alone
applicable
vsuseful
84 4.4

Suitable for a situation or purpose

is more general, applying beyond a single situation or purpose
usable
vsuseful
64 2.3

Fit for a purpose and works well

is about being of practical benefit rather than mere suitability
functional
vsuseful
49 3.7

Useful and practical rather than decorative

emphasizes general service or benefit rather than design intent alone
advantageous
vsuseful
27 3.5

Helping you get a better result

refers to general practical service rather than a situational advantage
utile
vsuseful
9.3

Useful for helping people or things in a practical way

is the everyday general term for practical benefit or service
utilizable
vsuseful
6.6

Can be used for a practical purpose

is broader, focusing on practical benefit rather than profit potential

Antonyms

550 1.0

Not able to do the job it is made for

90 3.4

Not working well enough to give the wanted result

Idioms

Completely without help for any task

Not helpful and not wanted in any situation

Completely useless in real situations

Having no real use

How Useful

essential
50 2.4
useful
947 1.0
helpful
689 1.0
unhelpful
17 3.0
useless
550 1.0

Surface Forms

useful positive
usefuller comparative
usefullest superlative

Morphology

useful = use (transparent) = use + ful

The adjective is a direct derivation from 'use' + '-ful', meaning 'full of use' or 'helpful', which is obvious to learners.

Etymology

The word useful comes from the simple word use, meaning 'to use', and the ending -ful, meaning 'full of', as in helpful. So a useful thing is 'full of use' and helps you do something.