Valueless

Valueless is an adjective used to describe something that has no value or that provides no practical usefulness, significance, or worth. The term can refer to monetary value, usefulness, or broader social or symbolic importance, depending on the context.

The word is formed from value plus the suffix -less. Value itself comes from Old French valeur, ultimately from Latin valor "worth, strength." The suffix -less indicates absence, producing a term that denotes lacking value in a given context.

In economics, valueless items may refer to assets with negligible resale value or to goods that do not justify their cost. In information contexts, data or evidence can be described as valueless for a particular analysis when it fails to contribute to conclusions. In ethics and aesthetics, valueless can signal lack of intrinsic or instrumental worth within a specific framework, even if other subjects may hold value for different reasons.

Related terms include worthless, value, worth, intrinsic value, and instrumental value.