Both Uses of
futile
in
Not Without My Daughter
- I felt a palpable sense of evil and I struck back with my tongue, even though I knew that argument was futile.†
*
- She attacked him from behind with her tiny fists, pounding' at him in futility and frustration.†
futility = pointlessness (uselessness)
Definition:
effort that is pointless because it is unproductive or unsuccessful