Sentence examples for futile gestures from inspiring English sources

Better to explain carefully why high inflation is likely to prove temporary than to indulge in "futile gestures", he said.

But the most cardboard character in this sense is de Neuville, who begins genuinely tormented over Frenchmen's dilemma -- whether to make futile gestures on behalf of the Free French or to be practical and support the puppet Vichy government -- and ends up a mustache-twirling villain.

In politics, his object was always to get results rather than to get into the newspapers, and he was scathing about parliamentary colleagues who made futile gestures in the chamber in preference to cutting a deal behind the scenes with an official who could make something happen.

Sure, one can go through the usual futile gestures of lecturing diplomats and canceling military-to-military exchanges--but if you really want to send a message to an American politician go after the corporate entities that can now directly contribute to efforts that might result in his or her loss in a forthcoming election.

It was a futile gesture.

That would be a futile gesture.

I think returning awards is a rather futile gesture".

So using force is not a futile gesture.

"We need a futile gesture at this stage.

As it turned out, it was a futile gesture.

In that futile gesture, however, laid a thought.