Synonyms: Meaningless

Don't sweat the small stuff! This list covers words for things that are forgettable, unnecessary, or a waste of time. For more synonym lists, explore our Say What You Mean resources.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. extraneous
    not pertinent to the matter under consideration
    He knew he couldn't tell stories, that he always included extraneous details and tangents that interested only him. An Abundance of Katherines
  2. futile
    producing no result or effect
    He suddenly saw how futile, how ridiculous the situation was. The Chocolate War
    Futile is a synonym for pointless. It comes from the Latin futilis, meaning "leaky," as in a bucket that won't hold water.
  3. immaterial
    lacking importance; not mattering one way or the other
    The prosecution protested that the question was immaterial, and the judge agreed. Killers of the Flower Moon
    Something material has substance, is relevant or real. Immaterial means the opposite: insubstantial or irrelevant. It's often used in a legal context, describing something not relevant to a case.
  4. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    I forced myself to concentrate on the logic problems, but somehow they seemed inconsequential to me. The Chosen
    A consequential decision makes an impact or dramatically changes a situation. Inconsequential describes the opposite: something that doesn't matter and has no effect.
  5. insignificant
    conveying nothing
    He was dying, alone and insignificant, and nobody cared. Touching Spirit Bear
  6. irrelevant
    having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    Any words would serve, the more irrelevant and superficial the better, any words which would stop him; I didn’t want to see this. A Separate Peace
  7. negligible
    so small as to be meaningless; insignificant
    “The land area of the planet is a little less than two hundred million square miles. The percentage is ... so small as to be negligible.” Allegiant
    Negligible describes something that is too small to matter. It comes from the Latin verb negligere, which is also the root of negligent and neglect.
  8. nugatory
    of no real value
    It includes “insuperable,” meaning impossible to overcome, and “nugatory,” of no value or importance. Seattle Times (Jan 2, 2018)
    Nugatory comes from the Latin nugatorius, meaning "worthless" or "pointless."
  9. paltry
    contemptibly small in amount or size
    I’d soon be cutting into my paltry stash of U.S. dollars. October Sky
    The origin of paltry is unclear, but it likely comes from the Germanic palt, meaning "rag."
  10. pointless
    serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
    I took a few steps back down the staircase, but it was pointless to pretend that I hadn’t been listening. The Darkest Minds
  11. trivial
    (informal) small and of little importance
    The argument was based on something so trivial it didn’t seem worth wasting a single word on it. The Diary of a Young Girl
    Something trivial is minor, too small to be important. You might recognize the word from trivia: a contest to see who knows the most random facts about a variety of subjects.
  12. worthless
    lacking in usefulness or value
    The early settlers took up land they didn’t need and couldn’t use; they took up worthless land just to own it. East of Eden
Created on Thu Mar 19 23:28:40 EDT 2020 (updated Wed Mar 03 15:56:46 EST 2021)

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