meaningless

Everyday

1. Meaningless means having no meaning or no sense: a meaningless string of letters. tree →
2. Meaningless means having no purpose or importance. tree →

In the lessons

In language lessons a meaningless word or sentence makes no sense, like «green ideas sleep furiously» which is grammatical but meaningless. In maths an answer can be meaningless if it does not fit the question, like 2.5 buses. In everyday life it describes pointless rules or empty promises. Phrases: «completely meaningless», «a meaningless gesture».

Examples

• «Xqvzt» is a meaningless jumble of letters. tree →
• The score was meaningless because the match was only practice. tree →
• Without units, the answer 12 is meaningless. tree →
• He made a meaningless promise he never kept. tree →
• The old code looked meaningless until we found the key. tree →
• A long list of facts can feel meaningless without a story. tree →

Note

Suffix «-less» means «without». Opposite: «meaningful». In maths problems, check the answer is meaningful: you cannot have half a person or a negative number of apples, so round sensibly or recheck.