ENGLISH
REFERENCE

worthless

adj.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈwɝθɫəs// UK //wˈɜːθləs// worth·less

adj. having no value, use, or importance. You use this to describe something that is broken, useless, or not worth any money.

adj. lacking any financial value, utility, or merit. Often used to describe objects that cannot be sold or ideas that have no practical application.


SIMPLE

The old car is worthless because the engine is completely broken.

CONTEXTUAL

After the company went bankrupt, the stock certificates became worthless overnight, leaving investors with nothing.

COMPLEX

The critic dismissed the novel as worthless, arguing that its derivative plot and flat characters offered nothing of interest to a modern audience.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English *worthles, from Old English weorþlēas (“worthless”), equivalent to worth + -less. Cognate with Dutch waardeloos (“worthless”), German wertlos (“worthless”), Swedish värdelös (“worthless”).

Usage

Typically used as a predicative adjective after a linking verb or as an attributive adjective before a noun.

Pitfall

The ring is worthlessly.The ring is worthless.Learners sometimes confuse the adjective 'worthless' with an adverbial form; when describing a noun's value, the adjective is required.

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