Latin is where we can establish that the etymological origin of the useless term that we are now going to analyze is found. Specifically, it emanates from the word "inutilis", which can be translated as "that is of no use" and is the result of adding the following lexical components:
-The prefix «in-«, which means «no» or «without».
-The verb "uti", which is synonymous with "serve".
-The suffix «-il», which is used to indicate «possibility».
That or that which is not useful is called useless . The useful, meanwhile, is associated with what is useful, is used or generates some benefit .
For example: «For the government, the strike announced by the union center is useless, since it will not contribute to solving the economic problems and will only generate complications for citizens» , «It is useless, no matter how much I try to forget what happened yesterday, that scene comes back to my mind again and again" , "They gave me a useless hair cutting machine that never worked properly."
Among the words that can function as synonyms for useless, we can highlight some such as ineffective, useless, unproductive, inoperative, sterile, fruitless, or waste . On the contrary, among its antonyms we find useful, productive, effective or serviceable.
A useless gadget or device does not provide any interesting benefit or does not fulfill its purpose . A guitar without strings , to mention one case, is a useless instrument: it does not allow you to generate the sounds that a guitar should produce when played. Similarly, a car without wheels is also useless.
In the case of people, the subject who shows no ability to carry out an activity is classified as useless. A man, in this framework, can define himself as useless at household chores, since he does not know how to cook, iron or use the washing machine.
Pointing someone out as useless, however, is often considered aggression . If a political leader claims that the president of the nation is useless because, since taking office, he has not resolved any social problem, many will indicate that he disrespected the president. This evaluation even goes beyond the thoughts one has about the ruler's abilities: the use of the adjective useless is rude and uncivilized.
In the literary field we find works that use the term we are addressing in their titles. This would be the case of "The Usefulness of the Useless", which was released in 2013 and was written by Nuccio Ordine.
In the same way, we cannot ignore the existence of the work "The Useless Book", which is made by the YouTuber Alfie Deyes. Specifically, it is a compendium of different challenges that are ideal for wasting time in a unique way, to say the least.
We also have to state that "El useless" is a soap opera of Colombian origin that was presented in 2001 and starred actors of the caliber of Ruddy Rodríguez, Julián Arango and Víctor Mallariano.