8 uses
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Definition
effort that is pointless because it is unproductive or unsuccessful
- She moved her hand quickly from the wheel, grabbing the purse in a futile attempt to keep it from him.Chapter 6 (14% in)
futile = useless (pointless effort)
- The pain was returning, the sense of futility also.Chapter 9 (88% in)
- He felt only a sense of weariness, of futility.Chapter 19 (11% in)
- Why was he suddenly swept by feelings of anger and futility?Chapter 24 (96% in)
- Someone whose afflictions were not explained in twenty years of training, but were understandable if one thought about the pains and the losses, the unending waves of violence ... all ending in futility.Chapter 34 (51% in)
- "I'm sorry," said the director, meaning it, hearing the futility in the general's voice.Chapter 34 (93% in)
- It was futile; to stay alive he had to get out of the brownstone, away from the place where Cain was born.Chapter 35 (68% in)
- There was confusion, commands shouted futilely, orders swallowed in consternation.Chapter 35 (83% in)
There are no more uses of "futile" in The Bourne Identity.
Typical Usage
(best examples)