fruitlessly en · ADV
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree English fruitless Middle English -ly English -ly English fruitlessly From fruitless + -ly.
Meanings
-
Unproductively, uselessly.
Few political careers start when people are in their 70s, but Hendy is actually relishing it, although he is incensed sometimes by the pointlessness of the posturing by the opposition, which keeps him up late. "The bit I don't like is getting home at 0100 or 0200 in the morning because the opposition have been fruitlessly arguing for a long time."
2025 October 1, Christian Wolmar, “Rail Minister at the heart of rail reform”, in RAIL, number 1045, page 35:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more fruitlessly | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most fruitlessly | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Translations (3)
pl bezowocnie (in a fruitless manner) · la nēquīquam (in a fruitless manner) · es infructuosamente (in a fruitless manner)