Usefulness
n.capable, thoughtfulprofessional
What it means
The degree to which something helps achieve a purpose or meet a need.
Reach for it when Evaluating practical value rather than novelty, beauty, or prestige alone.
Farmers judged the alert system's usefulness during the first hard frost.
Choose between these
6- everyday
a positive effect is being identified
not when may arise without serving an intended purpose
- everyday
overall benefit matters in plain language
not when includes emotional or financial worth beyond use
- warm
assistance to a person deserves a human tone
not when less natural for equipment or technical systems
- professional
fitness for real-world conditions is central
not when does not measure how much help is delivered
- formal
applicability
knowledge or a method fits the case
not when narrower than general usefulness
- formal
practical function is the abstract concern
not when can also mean a public service or software tool
Said against
3- uselessness
- futility
- irrelevance
It naturally appears in
3- practical usefulness
Field testing demonstrated the guide's practical usefulness.
- prove its usefulness
The spare pump proved its usefulness during the spring flood.
- limited usefulness
Without offline access, the map has limited usefulness in the valley.
The word family
1Where this comes from
- wiktionary, noun: quality of being useful opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.