fruitless

Meaning

1. Bearing no fruit; barren.
2. (figuratively) Unproductive, useless.
3. (archaic, figuratively) Of a person: unable to have children; barren, infertile.
4. (rare) Of a diet, etc.: without fruit.

Opposite of

fruitful, effective, efficacious, productive, useful

Synonyms

vain

useless

futile

unsuccessful

sterile

abortive

ineffectual

barren

unavailing

unprofitable

bootless

unfruitful

unproductive

sleeveless

infertile

ineffective

pointless

wasted

inefficacious

acarpous

idle

empty

gratis

be of no avail

abortional

misborn

arid

conceited

defeated

deficient

disastrous

discomfited

empty-handed

failed

frivolous

inefficient

insufficient

miscarrying

needless

of no avail

otiose

stamen

stillborn

superfluous

unfertile

worthless

be unsuccessful

be useless

Translations

infructuoso

άκαρπος

vano

infructueux

vain

inútil

infruttuoso

fruchtlos

vruchteloos

stérile

va

άγονος

estéril

nutteloos

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈfɹuːtləs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: fruytles

In summary

Inherited from Middle English fruytles; equivalent to fruit + -less. Compare Middle English withouten fruyt (“fruitless”, literally “without fruit”).