Chapter Words Relating to the Voluntary Powers of Index by Roget's Thesaurus

Vain, empty, inane, poor, sorry, mean, meagre, shabby, scrannel, vile, miserable, scrubby, weedy, niggling, beggarly, piddling, peddling, pitiful, pitiable, despicable, paltry, ridiculous, farcical, finical, finikin, fiddle- faddle, gimcrack, twopenny, twopenny-halfpenny, one-horse, piffling, jerry, jerry-built.

(Phrases). Not worth a straw; as light as air; not worth mentioning; not worth boasting about; neither here nor there.

(Interjections). No matter! pshaw! pooh! pooh-pooh! fudge! fiddle-de-dee! nonsense! stuff! n'importe!

(Adverbs). Meagrely, pitifully, vainly, etc.

• Utility (Substantives), service, use, function, office, sphere, capacity, part, rôle, task, work.

Usefulness, worth, stead, avail, advantageousness, profitableness, serviceableness, merit, cui bono, applicability, adequacy, subservience, subserviency, efficacy, efficiency, help, money's worth.

(Verbs). To be useful, etc., of use, of service.

To avail, serve, subserve, help, 707, conduce, serve one's turn, stand in stead, profit, advantage, accrue, bestead.

To render useful, to use 677, to turn to account, to utilise, to make the most of.

To serve an office, act a part, perform a function, serve a purpose, serve a turn.

(Adjectives). Useful, beneficial, advantageous, serviceable, helpful, gainful, profitable.

Subservient, conducive, applicable, adequate, efficient, efficacious, effective, effectual, sea-worthy

Worth while.

(Phrases). Valeat quantum valere potest; take it for what it is worth.

(Adverbs). Usefully, etc.; pro bono publico.

• Inutility (Substantives), uselessness, inefficacy, inefficiency, ineptness, ineptitude, inadequacy, inaptitude, fruitlessness, inanity, worthlessness, unproductiveness, barrenness, sterility, vanity, futility, triviality, paltriness, unprofitableness, unfruitfulness, rustiness, obsoleteness, discommodity, supererogation, obsolescence.

(Phrases). The labour of Sisyphus; the work of Penelope; a slaying of the slain.

Litter, rubbish, lumber, trash, job lot, orts, weeds 643, hogwash.

A waste, desert, Sahara, wild, wilderness.

(Verbs). To be useless, etc., to be of no avail, use, etc. 644.

(Phrases). To use vain efforts; to beat the air; to fish in the air; to lash the waves; to plough the sands.

(Adjectives). Useless, inutile, inefficient, inefficacious, unavailing, inoperative, bootless, supervacaneous, unprofitable, unremunerative, unproductive, sterile, barren, unsubservient, supererogatory.

Worthless, valueless, at a discount, gainless, fruitless, profitless, unserviceable, rusty, effete, washy, wasted, nugatory, futile, inept, withered, good for nothing, wasteful, ill-spent, obsolete, obsolescent, stale, dud, dear-bought, rubbishy, rubbishing.

(Phrases). Not worth having; leading to no end; no good; not worth while; of no earthly use; a dead letter.

Unneeded, unnecessary, uncalled for, unwanted, incommodious, discommodious.