increasing futility

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "increasing futility" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation or effort that is becoming more and more pointless or ineffective over time. Example: "As the negotiations dragged on without any progress, the team began to feel a sense of increasing futility in their attempts to reach an agreement."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Inevitable, increasing futility.

The New Yorker

I will inevitably sit with it on repeat, pressing the volume '+' button with increasing futility.

The Guardian - Music

Unlike Frank Sinatra, who spent the last 20 years of his performing life pretending with increasing futility that nothing had changed, Clooney knew what to make of a diminished thing.

The New York Times - Arts

This fair has rarely made a better case for itself, for the field of artistic activity whose depth it only hints at and for the increasing futility of cordoning off that field from the rest of today's art.

The New York Times - Arts

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

They had seven hits, none for extra bases, and stranded nine runners as they increased their futility with runners in scoring position to 1 for 23 over the past four games.

The New York Times - Sports

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's message to his country's extremely disaffected Sunni minority, which resists with an increasing sense of futility joining the battles between Maliki's forces and extremists?

The New York Times

The patients' absorption in cosseting and indulging their minor symptoms means that she sometimes has to force herself to be gentle — and, too, that she fights an increasing sense of futility: "Without anything truly at risk, she feels like she's merely pretending, in everything.

The New York Times - Books

Early stopping for futility increases the risk of imbalance in prognostic factors.

Critical Care

There appears to be an increasing number of trials that incorporate futility, either in the protocol or the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) requests such analyses during the trial.

British Journal of Cancer

They went 0 for 13 with runners in that situation Monday to increase their level of futility to 6 for 72.

The New York Times

Discussions about medical futility are relatively new to Japanese health care and along with ongoing reform of the medical system, health insurance policies and an increasing aging population, discussion about the application of life sustaining treatment in marginal benefit and medical futility are going to be more important in Japan.

BMC Medical Ethics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "increasing futility" to describe situations where initial efforts might have shown some promise, but are now clearly becoming less and less effective.

Common error

Avoid using "increasing futility" when describing situations that were always futile from the start. The phrase implies a progression towards futility, not an inherent state.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "increasing futility" functions as a noun phrase, where "increasing" modifies the noun "futility". It describes a state or condition that is progressively becoming more futile. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "increasing futility" is a grammatically sound phrase used to describe a situation where efforts are becoming progressively more pointless. While relatively rare, as confirmed by Ludwig, it appears primarily in news and scientific contexts. The phrase carries a neutral to formal tone and serves to express a growing sense of hopelessness or ineffectiveness. To avoid misusing the phrase, ensure that the situation genuinely involves a progression towards futility rather than being inherently futile from the outset. As per Ludwig AI, the phrase is correct and usable in written English and alternatives like "growing sense of hopelessness" or "escalating sense of pointlessness" can be used depending on context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

escalating sense of pointlessness

Highlights the rising feeling that actions are becoming meaningless.

growing sense of hopelessness

Emphasizes the emotional aspect of diminishing hope rather than the practical aspect of failing effort.

gradual slide into meaninglessness

Suggests a slow and steady decline into a state where nothing seems to matter.

mounting ineffectiveness

Focuses specifically on the decreasing ability to produce the desired result.

worsening inefficacy

Similar to "mounting ineffectiveness" but uses a more formal term.

intensifying uselessness

Stresses the increasing lack of value or purpose in an activity.

heightening absurdity

Emphasizes the increasingly irrational or illogical nature of the situation.

rising tide of helplessness

Uses a metaphorical image to convey the growing feeling of being unable to change the outcome.

deepening feeling of inadequacy

Shifts the focus to the personal feeling of not being able to achieve anything.

growing awareness of vanity

Highlights the increasing realization that efforts are self-centered and ultimately futile.

FAQs

How can I use "increasing futility" in a sentence?

You can use "increasing futility" to describe a situation where efforts are becoming more and more pointless or ineffective. For instance, "As the negotiations dragged on without any progress, the team began to feel a sense of "increasing futility" in their attempts to reach an agreement."

What are some alternatives to "increasing futility"?

Alternatives include "growing sense of hopelessness", "escalating sense of pointlessness", or "mounting ineffectiveness", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is "increasing futility" formal or informal?

"Increasing futility" is generally suitable for neutral to formal contexts. It is often used in news articles, academic papers, and professional reports.

What's the difference between "increasing futility" and "complete futility"?

"Increasing futility" implies a gradual progression towards ineffectiveness, while "complete futility" suggests that something is entirely pointless from the beginning. The first implies a process, the second a state.