fruitless

English

Etymology

fruit +‎ -less

Adjective

fruitless (comparative more fruitless, superlative most fruitless)

1. Useless; unproductive.

   The unskilled man's attempt at fixing his car engine was fruitless.

   • 1749, John Cleland, Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure Part 2

     At length, after repeated fruitless trials, he lay down panting by me, kiss'd my falling tears, and asked me tenderly what was the meaning of so much complaining?

2. Bearing no fruit; barren.

   The fruitless woman desperately wanted to have children.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:futile

Derived terms

• fruitlessly
• fruitlessness

Translations

useless; unproductive

• Finnish: turha (fi), hyödytön (fi)
• French: vain (fr)
• German: fruchtlos (de)

• Polish: bezowocny (pl) m
• Romanian: neproductiv (ro), nefructuos (ro)
• Russian: бесплодный (ru) (besplódnyj), бесполезный (ru) (bespoléznyj)

bearing no fruit; barren

• Finnish: hedelmätön (fi)

• Russian: бесплодный (ru) (besplódnyj)