useful meaning
useful :
helpful, serving a purpose
adjective
▪ This tool is very useful.
▪ This tool is very helpful.
▪ The book has useful information.
▪ The book has helpful information.
paraphrasing
▪ beneficial – helpful
▪ practical – serving a purpose
▪ advantageous – giving an advantage
▪ valuable – having worth
Pronunciation
useful [ˈjuːsfəl]
The stress is on 'use' and sounds like 'yoos-fuhl'.
Common phrases and grammar about useful
useful - Common meaning
adjective
helpful, serving a purpose
Part of Speech Changes for "useful"
▪ usefulness (noun) – the quality of being helpful
▪ use (verb) – to employ something for a purpose
▪ used (adjective) – having been employed
Common Expressions with "useful"
▪ useful tool – a helpful instrument
▪ useful advice – helpful guidance
▪ useful information – helpful data
▪ useful skill – a helpful ability
Important examples of useful in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, useful often refers to things that are helpful or serve a purpose.
Example of a confusing word: useless (not serving any purpose)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
As an adjective, useful describes nouns and often appears in questions about qualities or characteristics.
useful
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
useful life
'the time something is helpful', often used in business contexts.
make oneself useful
means 'to find a way to help'.
Differences between similar words and useful
useful
,
beneficial
differences
Useful means serving a purpose, while beneficial means providing a benefit or advantage.
useful
,
practical
differences
Useful means serving a purpose, while practical means suitable for a particular purpose.
Words with the same origin as useful
The origin of useful
The word 'useful' comes from the word 'use' with the suffix '-ful' meaning 'full of'.
Word structure
The parts are: 'use' (to employ) and 'ful' (full of), so useful means 'full of use'.
Words with the same origin
The root of useful is use (to employ). Words with the same root include usage (the act of using), utensil (a tool), usual (common).
