worthless

worthless — adjective

1. not worth any money at all; so old, broken, or fake that nobody would pay for it

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

not worth any money at all; so old, broken, or fake that nobody would pay for it

Example

The old vase on the shelf turned out to be a worthless copy.

attributive use: worthless + noun

When the stock market collapsed, Indra's shares became completely worthless.

collocation: completely worthless

Common collocations
  • worthless currency
  • worthless cheque
  • worthless stock
  • worthless property
  • worthless coin
Synonyms
  • valueless

    more formal; often used for abstract assets (a valueless contract) rather than physical objects

  • cheap

    less formal; can mean low quality rather than no monetary value (cheap jewellery is not necessarily worthless)

Antonyms
  • valuable

    having high monetary worth

  • precious

    so valuable that it is rare and treasured

Grammar Patterns

be + worthless

worthless + noun

Usage Note

Often used in financial contexts — for currency, property, investments, or items being sold. The strong form 'completely worthless' or 'utterly worthless' is common when emphasising that something has no value at all.

Common Mistakes

The old coins were invaluable.
The old coins were worthless.
'invaluable' means extremely valuable, not 'not valuable.'
They found a priceless fake painting.
They found a worthless fake painting.
'priceless' means so valuable it cannot be priced; 'worthless' means having no value.

2. so poor in quality or result that you get no benefit from it; not worth your tim

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

so poor in quality or result that you get no benefit from it; not worth your time or attention

Example

Selim spent hours on a worthless computer program that never worked.

worthless + noun + that-clause

The information in that old guidebook is now worthless for planning your trip.

worthless + for + [purpose]

Common collocations
  • worthless advice
  • worthless information
  • worthless effort
  • worthless attempt
  • worthless skill
Synonyms
  • useless

    more common in everyday speech; milder and more versatile than 'worthless'

  • pointless

    suggests an activity has no purpose or goal rather than no quality

  • futile

    more formal; suggests that effort cannot succeed regardless of quality

Antonyms
  • useful

    having a good effect or practical purpose

  • valuable

    useful, important, or helpful

Grammar Patterns

be + worthless

worthless + for + noun/-ing

prove + worthless

Usage Note

Commonly used to describe information, advice, efforts, or tools that produce no useful result. The pattern 'prove worthless' is typical in formal or written English for describing outcomes after effort has been made.

Common Mistakes

I felt worthless after failing the test.
I felt useless after failing the test.
When applied to a person's temporary feelings, 'useless' is milder. 'Worthless' about a person often implies a harsher moral judgment (see sense 3).
This computer is worthless for gaming.
This computer is not good for gaming.
'Worthless' means no value at all; a computer that can still do basic tasks is not truly worthless.
The meeting was worthless so I stayed the whole time.
The meeting was worthless so I left early.
If something is truly worthless, staying makes no sense.

3. having such bad moral character that other people feel disgust or strong disappr

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

having such bad moral character that other people feel disgust or strong disapproval towards you; completely lacking in decency or honesty

Example

Salma called the scam a worthless attempt to steal from elderly people.

attributive use with an action: worthless attempt

The villagers called the spy a worthless man who had sold secrets to the enemy.

worthless + noun + who-clause describing bad character

Common collocations
  • worthless person
  • worthless character
  • worthless individual
  • worthless creature
  • worthless promise
Synonyms
  • despicable

    similar in strength; focuses on actions that deserve hatred

  • contemptible

    slightly more formal; describes someone deserving of scorn

  • vile

    stronger emotional charge; suggests extreme wickedness or disgustingness

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be + worthless

worthless + noun (person or action)

Usage Note

Strongly negative — describes a person's character or actions, not their usefulness. Using 'worthless' for a person (sense 3) is much harsher than using 'useless' (sense 2) and implies moral failure rather than lack of skill.

Common Mistakes

He is a worthless friend because he is always late.
He is an unreliable friend because he is always late.
Being late is a small flaw; 'worthless' (sense 3) implies serious moral badness such as dishonesty or betrayal.
My old car is worthless — it keeps breaking down.
My old car is useless
it keeps breaking down.' — A broken car has a practical flaw, not a moral one. Reserve sense 3 for people and their intentional actions.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

Useless is the most common and direct synonym — it describes anything that cannot produce the expected result, from a broken tool to a failed attempt ('a useless remote control'). Pointless adds the idea that something has no purpose or goal, so the activity itself is unjustified ('a pointless argument that changed nobody's mind'). Futile is more formal and suggests that even with effort, success is impossible from the start ('a futile attempt to rescue the ship'). Meaningless focuses on the lack of significance rather than effectiveness — something can work perfectly yet still be meaningless ('a meaningless ceremony with no real emotion'). Worthless (sense 2) sits between these: it emphasises poor quality or zero benefit, carrying a stronger judgment than useless. A worthless training course is not just ineffective — it is so bad that your time on it was completely wasted. In everyday speech, useless is the safest, mildest choice; worthless is stronger and should be reserved for things that truly offer no benefit at all.

useless ↗pointless ↗futilemeaningless ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • prove worthless
  • render something worthless
  • deem something worthless
  • turn out to be worthless
  • consider something worthless

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from 'worth' (meaning 'value') plus the suffix '-less' (meaning 'without'). The Old English word 'weorþ' (value, price) combined with '-leas' (without) to form 'weorþleas', which already carried the meaning 'without value'. Over time, the meaning expanded from purely financial worth to include usefulness and moral character.