futilely
advUS /ˈfju.təl.li/
Etymology From futile + -ly.
1
In a futile manner.
- Near-synonyms: fruitlessly, pointlessly, to no avail, in vain
- My fingers clawed futilely at the unyielding portal, while my eyes sought in vain for a duplicate of the button which had given us ingress.1913 January–May, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Gods of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as The Gods of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., September 1918, →OCLC: