USELESS1 when something is not useful2 objects that are useless and not needed3 actions or activities that are useless4 ways of telling someone that it is useless to do something5 when it is useless to try to persuade someoneRELATED WORDSoppositeUSEFULsee alsoPURPOSE1 when something is not useful 某物没有用处useless /ˈjuːsləs/ [adjective]not at all useful 无用的，没有用处的 The lifejackets turned out to be useless, because they didn't inflate properly. 因为充不了气，结果这些救生衣毫无用处。 a useless piece of information 一条没用的信息 She gave me a video, but of course it's useless without a player. 她给我一盘录像带，可是没有播放器当然没有用。completely/totally/utterly/absolutely useless Presumably, my files will be completely useless to whoever stole them. 我的文件对于偷的人来说可能毫无用处。 It's time you traded the car in, before it becomes utterly useless. 趁这辆车还没变成一堆废铁，你该把它折价换掉了。useless for (doing) something That's a nice watch, but it's useless for going underwater. 这手表不错，但下水时不能用。 Jay's car was 20 years old, and useless for anything but a short journey to the local shops. 杰伊的车有20年车龄了，除了去近处的当地商店外毫无用处。uselessly [adverb] His injured arm hung uselessly by his side. 他那条受伤的胳膊垂在一边，动也不能动。be (of) no use /biː (əv) ˌnəʊ ˈjuːs/ [verb phrase]to be useless 毫无用处 This map's no use -- it doesn't show the minor roads. 这张地图没有用—小路没有标出来。 I'm freezing, and these heaters are no use either. 我冷得要命，而这些取暖器又没一点用。be (of) no use to All this information is of no use to me now. It's too late. 所有这些消息现在对我毫无用处，太迟了。be of no use for doing something It's a great rifle -- but no use for shooting anything bigger than a rabbit. 这来复枪不错—但要打比兔子大的东西就没有用了。have got no use for /həv gɒt nəʊ ˈjuːs fɔːʳǁ-gɑːt-/ [verb phrase]Britishif youhave no use for something, you do not want it or need it because you cannot use it for anything 【英】用不着 You may as well stop giving me these magazines -- I've got no use for them, and they just go straight in the bin. 你还是别再送我这些杂志了—我用不着，它们是给直接扔进垃圾桶里了。be no good /biː ˌnəʊ ˈgʊd/ [verb phrase]informalto be useless 【非正式】没有用 These matches must have got wet -- they're no good at all. 这些火柴肯定湿了—根本划不着。 Yeah, Clancy's Bar is a lively place, but it's no good if you just want a quiet drink with a friend. 是啊，克兰西酒吧是个热闹的地方，但如果你只是想和朋友静静地喝上一杯，那里并不合适。be no good for (doing) something These glasses are no good for champagne. 这些玻璃杯不适合用来喝香槟酒。 We found out that the vehicle was not much good for transporting heavy loads. 我们发现这辆车对运输分量重的货物没多大用处。be no good to You're no good to me if you can't drive a car. 你如果不会开车就对我没什么用。 Do you want these bike parts? They're no good to me. 你要这些自行车零件吗？它们对我没用了。be (of) no help /biː (əv) ˌnəʊ ˈhelp/ [verb phrase]to not be helpful in a particular situation 没有帮助 Johnny had drawn me a map, but that was no help. 约翰尼给我画了幅地图，但是没有用。 Seat belts are of no help at all in 30% of car accidents. 在30%的车祸中，安全带根本毫无用处。 I looked at the departures screen, but that was no help because it was out of order. 我看了看出发班次显示屏，但是没有用，因为它坏了。be (of) no help to It was the nicest thing she could think of to say, but it was really no help to me. 那是她能想到的最好听的话了，可是对我实在毫无用处。 The follow-up seminar on women's issues was of no help to me, so I left early. 有关女性问题的后续研讨会对我没有用，于是我提早离开了。be (of) no help in doing something In-store videos were of no help in identifying the criminals. 店内录像对于辨认罪犯毫无用处。2 objects that are useless and not needed 没用的、不需要的东西junk /dʒʌŋk/ [uncountable noun]objects that have little value because they are old, useless, broken, or unwanted 废旧杂物 a market stall selling junk and old clothes 一个出售旧杂物和旧衣服的市场小摊 a pile of old junk 一堆废旧杂物 Her cupboards were full of junk which she had accumulated over the years. 她的橱柜里全是她积了多年的旧杂物。garbage /ˈgɑːʳbɪdʒ/ [uncountable noun]especially American, informalthings that are useless because they are badly made, old, or broken 【尤美，非正式】破烂货，垃圾 Don't buy from that store -- most of the stuff there is garbage. 不要到那家店去买东西—他们的东西大都是垃圾。 You can throw out all the stuff in that cupboard, it's garbage. 那个橱柜里的东西都可以扔掉，全是垃圾。 The attic was full of all kinds of garbage, including an old stereo and boxes of broken toys. 阁楼里堆满了各种各样的废物，包括一台旧立体声音响设备和一箱箱破玩具。3 actions or activities that are useless 无用的动作或活动pointless /ˈpɔɪntləs/ [adjective]if someone does something that ispointless, it does not seem to have any useful purpose and will not help anyone 无意义的；无用的 The argument was completely pointless. 争吵毫无意义。 pointless drug testing on animals 在动物身上做的无谓的药品试验a pointless exercisesomething that you have to do that does not seem to have any purpose 没有意义的事情 We had to change the sheets daily, which always seemed to me to be a pointless exercise. 我们得每天换床单，我一直认为这是没有意义的。it is pointless doing somethingBritish It's pointless trying to speak to the manager -- she's always too busy. 跟经理说是没有用的一她一直很忙。 Look, it's pointless us both waiting here -- I'll go and find a phone. 瞧，我们俩都在这儿等没什么意义—我去找电话。it is pointless to do something The company says it is pointless to compete in the air package holiday market. 该公司称，在航空包价旅游市场竞争没有意义。 Simon was probably dead, and it was pointless to think he was coming back. 西蒙很可能已经死了，认为他会回来是没有意义的。pointlessly [adverb] ‘When...? How...?’ I stammered pointlessly. I already knew the answers. “什么时候…？怎么样…？”我结结巴巴地胡乱说道，我已经知道答案了。pointlessness [uncountable noun] Trevor began explaining the pointlessness of a classical education. 特雷弗开始解释传统教育无意义之处。futile /ˈfjuːtaɪlǁ-tl/ [adjective]afutile effort or attempt to do something is completely pointless because there is no chance of its being effective or successful 徒劳的，无效的 Kevin made one last futile attempt to persuade Sandra to go with him, then left. 凯文最后一次试图劝桑德拉跟他走，但未能奏效，然后便离开了。 Demonstrators condemned the summit as a futile and fruitless exercise. 示威者谴责这次峰会是徒然无效之举。prove futilewhen an attempt ends without being successful 结果无用 All efforts to save the child proved futile. 挽救孩子生命的一切努力都白费了。 Until attitudes at work are changed, attempts to improve performance are likely to prove futile. 工作态度不改，工作表现是好不起来的。it is futile to do something The goal is not to punish the rebels, but to convince them that it is futile to resist. 目的不是要惩罚叛乱分子，而是要让他们确信反抗是徒劳的。futility /fjuːˈtɪlɪti, fjuːˈtɪləti/ [uncountable noun] Wilfrid Owen's poems stress the absolute futility of war. 威尔弗里德·欧文的诗强调战争的徒劳无益。an exercise in futilitysomething that would be pointless to try doing 徒劳之举 Signing a trade agreement would be an exercise in futility. 签订贸易协定是徒劳之举。useless /ˈjuːsləs/ [adjective]if an activity isuseless, it does not achieve anything or does not help anyone 无用的 Numerous studies show that dieting is useless and may even cause weight gain. 许多研究表明，节食没有用，甚至可能会增加体重。 I had to remind myself that worrying is a useless activity. 我不得不提醒自己，担心是无用之举。it is useless to do something It was useless now to ask for help from my mother. 现在求妈妈帮忙没用了。 He knew it was useless to pretend to be innocent. 他知道装作无辜是没有用的。it is useless doing somethingBritish It's useless trying to talk to you when you've had a drink. 你喝了酒，我跟你谈白费唇舌。 I think it would be useless writing to the company -- they haven't even returned my calls. 我认为写信给那家公司没有用一他们甚至没有回我的电话。4 ways of telling someone that it is useless to do something 告诉某人做某事没有用的方法there's no point/what's the point /ðeəʳz ˌnəʊ ˈpɔɪnt, ˌwɒts ðə ˈpɔɪnt/especially spokensay this when you think that it is useless to do something because it will not achieve any useful purpose 【尤口】…没有用/…有什么用 ‘Why don't you try and sort out your argument with Mike?’ ‘There's no point -- he never listens.’ “为什么不试着解决跟迈克的争吵？”“没用的—他从来不听。” Don't try working out what your exam results will be -- there's no point. 不要去算考试成绩—没有什么意义。there's no point (in) doing something There's no point kidding yourself, Karen -- he just isn't interested in you anymore. 自己欺骗自己是没用的，卡伦—他就是不再对你感兴趣了。 It's frustrating, but there's no point in getting angry. 真令人沮丧，可是生气也没用。what's the point of doing something?spoken You've already decided, so what's the point of discussing it? 你已经决定了，讨论还有什么用？see no point/not see the point I didn't see the point of waiting around, so I left. 我不明白百无聊赖地等有什么用，所以走了。 I figured I'd be in town a while, and I saw no point in making enemies when I didn't have to. 我想我在镇上待不了多久，没有必要的话不必树敌。be a waste of time/be wasting your time /biː ə ˌweɪst əv ˈtaɪm, biː ˌweɪstɪŋ jɔːʳ ˈtaɪm/ [verb phrase]spokenuse this when you think that someone should not spend their time doing something because it will definitely not achieve anything 【口】完全是浪费时间be a waste of time doing something/wasting your time doing something You're wasting your time trying to start that car. The battery's completely flat. 你要启动那辆车是浪费时间，电池一点电也没有了。 I told you it would be a waste of time applying for a visa. 我告诉过你，申请签证是浪费时间。 Why waste your time trying to convince him? He won't change his mind. 为什么要浪费时间说服他？他不会改变主意的。it's not worth it /ɪts ˌnɒt ˈwɜːʳθ ɪt/spokensay this when you think that something someone wants to do is not important enough to spend any time or money on 【口】不值得 Don't get angry. It's not worth it. 别生气，这不值得。 ‘You should have your car serviced.’ ‘It isn't worth it. I hardly ever drive now.’ “你应该给车做次保养了。”“不值得，我现在几乎不开车。”it won't do you any good/it won't get you anywhere /ɪt ˌwəʊnt duː juː ˌeni ˈgʊd, ɪt ˌwəʊnt get juː ˈeniweəʳ/spokensay this when you think that someone will not be able to change a situation or persuade someone by doing something 【口】没有什么用处〔指无法改变形势或说服某人〕 Worrying about the test won't do you any good. 担心考试是没有用的。 I don't think this is getting us anywhere. Can we change the subject? 我觉得我们这样说下去没意思，换个话题好吗? Flattery won't get you anywhere -- I'm not doing it. 拍马屁没用的—我不会干的。 All this speculation isn't doing anyone any good. 这样的猜测对谁都没好处。it's/there's no usespokenalsoit's/there's no goodBritish spoken /ɪts, ðeəʳz ˌnəʊ ˈjuːs, ɪts, ðeəʳz ˌnəʊ ˈgʊd/say this when something you are doing is not working so it is pointless to continue 没有用〔指正在做的事没有效果，继续下去没有意义〕no use (in) doing something It's no use talking to me about interest rates and mortgages -- I find it all too confusing. 跟我说利率和按揭没用的—我觉得一头雾水。 It's no use lying about it because I saw you do it! 说谎没有用，我看到你干的！ There's no use in getting upset about it now. 现在为此担心没有用。be no good doing somethingBritish It's no good sitting here feeling sorry for yourself. 坐在这里顾影自怜是没用的。 There's no good punishing him hours later, because he won't remember what he's done wrong. 过了几小时才责罚他没有用，因为他不会记得做了什么错事。5 when it is useless to try to persuade someone 劝说某人无效it's like talking to a brick wallalsomight as well talk to a brick wallBritish /ɪts laɪk ˌtɔːkɪŋ tʊ ə ˌbrɪk ˈwɔːl, maɪt əz wel ˌtɔːk tʊ ə ˌbrɪk ˈwɔːl/spokenuse this to say that it is useless to try to persuade someone or argue with them, because they will not listen to what you are saying 【口】就像对牛弹琴 I wouldn't bother arguing with Francis -- it's like talking to a brick wall. 我才不去跟弗朗西斯争辩—那是白说的。 I told you I don't want to go out again tonight -- honestly, I might just as well talk to a brick wall! 我告诉过你，今晚我不想再出去一真不像话，我好像对牛弹琴一样！be wasting your breath /biː ˌweɪstɪŋ jɔːʳ ˈbreθ/ [verb phrase]spokenuse this to tell someone that there is no point in trying to argue with someone or persuade them about something because they will not change their opinion 【口】白费唇舌 It's no good trying to make Kit change her mind -- you'd just be wasting your breath. 劝姬特改变主意没有用—你只是白费唇舌。 He's wasting his breath. There's no way they're going to lend him the money. 他在浪费唇舌，他们绝对不会借钱给他的。till you're blue in the face /tɪl jɔːʳ ˌbluː ɪn ðə ˈfeɪs/ [adverb]spokenif you talk, argue etc with someonetill you're blue in the face, you talk or argue with them for a very long time when it is pointless to do this because they will not listen or understand 【口】〔说话、争论等〕尽力去做仍不成功 You can argue till you're blue in the face, but it won't do you any good. 你可以费尽唇舌，但是没有用的。 Politicians can claim until they are blue in the face that students have never had it so good, but the fact is, they cannot justify those claims. 任政客们没完没了地说学生从来没有得到这么好的条件，但事实是他们无法证明那些说法。