French Conversation · Level 12
90 words
French word
inutile
Pronunciation
IPA/inytil/
Meaning
- adjectiveuseless
Example
Il est inutile d'insister.
It is useless to insist.
More examples
Cette explication est inutile pour moi.
This explanation is useless for me.
Core concept
An effort or object that adds nothing useful to the outcome.
Common phrases
inutile pour
useless for ___
inutile de
useless to ___
Similar words
superflu: More than needed and able to be omitted without causing a problem.
vain: Unable to produce a result despite the effort involved.
futile: Of little importance and hardly worth doing.
inefficace: Failing to produce the intended effect or desired result.
Definition in French
Qui n'apporte aucune utilité; qui ne sert à rien.
Word origin
French inutile comes from Latin inutilis, formed with the negative prefix in- from utilis, "useful".
Usage tips
- In "il est inutile de + infinitive," the construction says that the action is pointless or unnecessary.
Other meanings
- unnecessaryadjective
Opposites
- utileusefuladjective
- indispensableindispensableadjective
Related words
- inutilitéuselessnessnoun
- inutilementuselesslyadverb