Looking for synonyms for waste of time? We’ve got you covered!
Here’s a list of other ways to say waste of time.
- Futile effort
- Pointless endeavor
- Fruitless pursuit
- Useless undertaking
- Ineffectual activity
- Unproductive task
- Vain attempt
- Meaningless action
- Purposeless exercise
- Unavailing work
- Idle venture
- Hollow pursuit
- Unrewarding job
- Insignificant effort
- Trivial pursuit
- Nonproductive activity
- Unprofitable venture
- Needless exercise
- Sisyphean task
- Superfluous activity
Want to learn how to say waste of time professionally? Keep reading for examples and use cases.
1. Futile Effort
When to Use: Suitable for an attempt unlikely to succeed or produce any result.
Example: “Continuing to use outdated marketing strategies in the digital age is a futile effort.”
2. Pointless Endeavor
When to Use: Appropriate for an activity with no useful purpose.
Example: “Trying to manually analyze massive datasets is a pointless endeavor.”
3. Fruitless Pursuit
When to Use: Best used for an activity that does not bring about a successful result.
Example: “Chasing after clients who consistently show no interest can become a fruitless pursuit.”
4. Useless Undertaking
When to Use: Suitable for an action or task that is not worth doing because it produces no benefit.
Example: “Creating detailed reports that no one reads is a useless undertaking.”
5. Ineffectual Activity
When to Use: Appropriate for an action that is not producing any or the desired effect.
Example: “Holding frequent meetings without clear agendas or objectives is an ineffectual activity.”
6. Unproductive Task
When to Use: Best used for a task that does not produce a significant or positive outcome.
Example: “Sorting emails by hand instead of using automated filters is an unproductive task.”
7. Vain Attempt
When to Use: Suitable for an effort made with little hope of success.
Example: “Trying to please every customer with a single solution often ends up being a vain attempt.”
8. Meaningless Action
When to Use: Appropriate for an action that lacks purpose or significance.
Example: “Compiling data without analyzing it or drawing insights is a meaningless action.”
9. Purposeless Exercise
When to Use: Best used for an activity that serves no practical purpose or end.
Example: “Redoing work that has already been completed correctly is a purposeless exercise.”
10. Unavailing Work
When to Use: Suitable for work that is ineffective or unsuccessful.
Example: “Sending generic sales pitches to a wide, untargeted audience is often unavailing work.”
11. Idle Venture
When to Use: Appropriate for an endeavor that lacks substance, value, or is unproductive.
Example: “Investing resources in a project without market research can be an idle venture.”
12. Hollow Pursuit
When to Use: Best used for an endeavor or activity that is devoid of real significance or value.
Example: “Focusing only on short-term profits without considering sustainability can be a hollow pursuit.”
13. Unrewarding Job
When to Use: Suitable for a task that does not provide satisfaction or desired results.
Example: “Continuously fixing minor aesthetic issues on the website was becoming an unrewarding job.”
14. Insignificant Effort
When to Use: Appropriate for an effort that is too small or unimportant to make a difference.
Example: “Spending time on minor cosmetic changes to a report is an insignificant effort compared to improving its content.”
15. Trivial Pursuit
When to Use: Best used for an activity of little importance or value.
Example: “Arguing over the color scheme of the office lounge is a trivial pursuit.”
16. Nonproductive Activity
When to Use: Suitable for an activity that does not produce anything useful.
Example: “Endless paperwork with no clear benefit is a nonproductive activity.”
17. Unprofitable Venture
When to Use: Appropriate for a project or activity that does not result in profit or benefit.
Example: “Investing in outdated technology turned out to be an unprofitable venture.”
18. Needless Exercise
When to Use: Best used for an activity that is not necessary and does not need to be done.
Example: “Manual entry of data that could be easily automated is a needless exercise.”
19. Sisyphean Task
When to Use: Suitable for a task that is endless and ineffective.
Example: “Trying to manually track and analyze all social media mentions is a Sisyphean task.”
20. Superfluous Activity
When to Use: Appropriate for an activity that is unnecessary, especially because more than enough of it is being done.
Example: “Rewriting the company handbook annually without any significant changes is a superfluous activity.”
