English

Adjective

fruitless ‎(comparative more fruitless, superlative most fruitless)

1. Useless; unproductive.

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

1. • 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.

3. (rare) Without fruit.
   • 1923, The Homestead (issues 386-410, page 33)

     The first fruits of the season were eagerly sought after, and everybody was thankful that once more dread winter with its unvarying monotony of fruitless meals was a thing of the past.

   • 1966, Joseph Irving Goodman, Diet and live (page 14)

     […] the many individual claims as to the ideal diet, for instance, the high-carbohydrate diet, the milkless diet, the breadless diet, the meatless diet, the fruit diet or the fruitless diet, the high-protein or the low-protein diet, and innumerable variations.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:futile

Derived terms

• fruitlessly
• fruitlessness

Antonyms

• fruitful

Translations