useless queries

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "useless queries" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe questions or requests for information that do not yield valuable or relevant results. For example, "The database was cluttered with useless queries that slowed down the system." Alternative expressions include "unproductive questions" and "irrelevant inquiries."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

For instance, the pre-filtering step can be almost useless if the query substructure is too generic, e.g. a simple benzene.

Journal of Cheminformatics

We show in which cases these off-query accesses are useless, and prove that in these cases we can compute the complete answer to the query by using only the sources in the query.

Stanford University

As a result, their execution becomes useless and the effect is similar to action we chose, which is disabling the less important queries from the start.

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

They were mostly useless (you never really saw them), until 2009 when Google began incorporating them into search results (run a query for someone's name, and their Google Profile has a good chance of popping up).

TechCrunch

queries Tom Hopkins.

The Guardian - Sport

Useless feedback.

Harvard Business Review

Middling useless.

The Guardian - Opinion

"Useless cunts.

The Guardian - Opinion

Very useless.

The Guardian - Sport

Completely useless.

The Guardian

Be useless.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In technical documentation, consider clarifying whether the query is "useless" because of its syntax (logically flawed) or because of its results (irrelevant data).

Common error

Avoid using "useless queries" when you actually mean "invalid queries". An invalid query contains syntax errors that prevent it from running, whereas a useless query runs correctly but provides no value to the user.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "useless queries" acts as a descriptive noun phrase consisting of an attributive adjective and a plural count noun. In technical environments, it identifies a specific subset of data interactions. According to Ludwig, the combination is used to categorize search attempts that fail to fulfill the user's informational need.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, while the exact bigram "useless queries" does not appear as a frequent fixed expression in the analyzed dataset, both words are heavily used together across high-authority platforms like The New York Times and Nature to discuss inefficiencies. Ludwig AI confirms that the phrase is grammatically correct and highly effective for describing requests that yield no value. Writers should use it to highlight systemic waste in data retrieval while being careful to distinguish it from technical errors or "invalid syntax". It remains a sharp, descriptive choice for both journalistic and scientific writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

ineffective searches

Shifts the focus from the request itself to the overall process of searching

fruitless inquiries

Uses a more formal or literary tone to describe questions that yield no results

unproductive questions

Generalizes the concept to broader human interaction rather than just technical databases

irrelevant requests

Focuses on the lack of pertinence rather than the utility of the result

futile searches

Stronger connotation of inevitable failure or hopelessness

pointless interrogations

A much more aggressive and personified way to describe asking for information

redundant queries

Specifies that the query is useless because the information is already known or repeated

worthless requests

Carries a stronger negative value judgment on the quality of the query

inefficient lookups

Highly technical alternative focusing on computational performance

non-functional searches

Describes searches that fail due to technical errors rather than poor logic

FAQs

How to use "useless queries" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe inefficient data retrieval, for example: "The legacy system was plagued by "useless queries" that consumed excessive server resources without providing relevant insights."

What can I say instead of "useless queries"?

You can use alternatives like "ineffective searches", "fruitless inquiries" or "unproductive questions" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to use "useless queries" in a technical report?

Yes, it is correct. While informal, it clearly communicates that certain requests are not yielding valuable data. However, for a more professional tone, you might prefer "inefficient queries" or "low-value requests".

What is the difference between "useless queries" and "empty results"?

A query is the request itself, while the result is the output. You might have "well-formed queries" that unfortunately result in empty sets, but the term "useless queries" implies the request itself was poorly conceived.