1.
[syn: bootless, fruitless, futile, sleeveless, vain]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Fruitless \Fruit"less\, a.
1. Lacking, or not bearing, fruit; barren; destitute of
offspring; as, a fruitless tree or shrub; a fruitless
marriage. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. Productive of no advantage or good effect; vain; idle;
useless; unprofitable; as, a fruitless attempt; a
fruitless controversy.
[1913 Webster]
They in mutual accusation spent
The fruitless hours. --Milton.
Syn: Useless; barren; unprofitable; abortive; ineffectual;
vain; idle; profitless. See Useless. --
Fruit"less*ly, adv. -- Fruit"lness*ness, n.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
fruitless
adj 1: unproductive of success; "a fruitless search"; "futile
years after her artistic peak"; "a sleeveless errand"; "a
vain attempt" [syn: bootless, fruitless, futile,
sleeveless, vain]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
91 Moby Thesaurus words for "fruitless":
abortive, acarpous, arid, barren, bootless, celibate, childless,
counterproductive, desert, desolate, drained, dried-up, dry,
effete, empty, etiolated, exhausted, failed, failing, fallow,
fatuitous, fatuous, feckless, foiled, frustrated, futile, gainless,
gaunt, gelded, idle, impotent, inadequate, inane, ineffective,
ineffectual, inefficacious, infecund, infertile, inoperative,
invalid, issueless, jejune, lame, leached, manque, menopausal,
miscarried, miscarrying, nonfertile, nonproducing, nonproductive,
nonprolific, nonremunerative, nugacious, nugatory, of no effect,
of no force, otiose, pointless, profitless, rewardless, sine prole,
sterile, stickit, stillborn, successless, sucked dry, teemless,
thwarted, unavailable, unavailing, uncultivated, unfertile,
unfortunate, unfruitful, unplowed, unproductive, unprofitable,
unprolific, unremunerative, unrewarding, unsown, unsuccessful,
untilled, useless, vain, virgin, waste, wasted, without issue,
worthless