The quality of being pointless or incapable of producing any useful result; uselessness.
From Latin futilis meaning 'leaky, unreliable, worthless,' literally 'pouring out easily.' The word evolved through Old French futilité before entering Middle English, carrying the sense of something that cannot hold or retain value.
The ancient Romans used 'futilis' to describe leaky vessels that couldn't hold water, creating a perfect metaphor for efforts that can't retain their intended results. Existentialist philosophers like Camus embraced futility as a fundamental condition of human existence, arguing that recognizing life's absurdity could paradoxically lead to freedom.
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