What does "pointless" mean?

1. (useless or without purpose) having no clear reason or purpose; a waste of time and effort. 2. (not sharp) not having a sharp end or tip. 3. (having no score) having no points in a game or competition. 4. (programming style) a way of writing computer code that does not name the data it is working on.

pointless

adj.

US //ˈpɔɪntɫəs// UK //pˈɔɪntləs// point·less

1 useless or without purpose (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

having no clear reason or purpose; a waste of time and effort.

lacking a functional purpose, meaning, or utility; often used to describe futile actions or redundant arguments.

Example

It is pointless to argue with him when he has already made up his mind.

Example

The committee spent hours debating minor clerical details, a pointless exercise that delayed the project's launch by several weeks.
2 not sharp (adj.)
C1 Advanced Formal

not having a sharp end or tip.

lacking a sharp point or tapering tip; terminating in a rounded or blunt end.

Example

The artist used a pointless tool to smooth the clay without scratching it.

Example

For safety reasons, the historical re-enactors were required to use pointless swords during the public demonstration.
- blunt
- rounded
- sharp
- pointed

Show 2 more sensesShow fewer

3 having no score (adj.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Sport

having no points in a game or competition.

characterised by a lack of points or score in a competitive context.

Example

The team finished the season pointless after losing every single match.

Example

Despite several near-misses in the final quarter, the underdog remained pointless as the whistle blew to end the match.
- scoreless
4 programming style (adj.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

a way of writing computer code that does not name the data it is working on.

referring to the tacit programming paradigm where function definitions do not explicitly identify their arguments.

Example

Some developers find pointless code harder to read because the variables are hidden.

Example

While pointless style can lead to concise functional expressions, it often obscures the data flow for those unfamiliar with the codebase.
- tacit

Origin

From Middle English pointles, poynteles, poyntlees. By surface analysis, point + -less.