Unused vs Useless - What's the difference?
unused | useless | Related terms |
not used
not accustomed
Without use or possibility to be used.
Unhelpful, not useful; pointless (of an action).
(pejorative, of a person) good-for-nothing; not dependable.
(colloquial, of a person) unable to do well at a particular task or thing. Useless is mildly insulting.
As adjectives the difference between unused and useless
is that unused is not used while useless is without use or possibility to be used.unused
English
Usage notes
The second pronunciation () pronunciation, which is acceptable for either sense and is normally used for the "not used" sense in all registers.Adjective
(en adjective)- I have two unused vouchers for a free meal.
- I am unused to the dark nights of the countryside.
Anagrams
*useless
English
Adjective
(en-adj)- This fork has prongs that are bent. It's useless now.
- I think it's useless to keep this discussion going. It's like talking to a wall.
- I tried my best to make him quit smoking, but my efforts were useless . He now smokes six packs a day.
- Bill never mows the lawn, takes out the trash or anything. He's useless , but I love him anyways.
- My brother is useless at most computer games, but he is an awesome PS2 player.
- Why do you keep trying? You're obviously useless at it.