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usefully

A2
adverb

Pronunciation

UK

  • /jˈuːzfəli/

US

  • /ˈjusfəli/

Description

To do something "usefully" means to do it in a way that is helpful, practical, or beneficial. Imagine spending a rainy afternoon organizing your junk drawer; it might not be the most exciting task, but the time was spent usefully because you can now find what you need. It suggests that your actions led to a good result instead of wasting time or effort.

As an adverb, "usefully" modifies a verb to describe how an action is performed. While you might describe yourself as a "useful" person (using the adjective), you would say you "contributed usefully" to a project (using the adverb). It is a good word when you want to show that an action was not just done, but done with a clear purpose and a helpful result. Think of it as the opposite of acting pointlessly or doing something for no good reason.

Examples

  1. 1

    Storage

    The space under the stairs is being used usefully for storage.

  2. 2

    Applying ideas

    The workshop gave me a few ideas that I could usefully apply at work right away.

  3. 3

    Productive time

    We spent the delay usefully by checking the figures one more time.

    • Pattern

      spend + time/period + usefully

      use that time productively or helpfully

  4. 4

    Book introduction

    The introduction usefully explains the background before the book gets more technical.

  5. 5

    Meeting clarity

    Her question usefully reminded us what the meeting was really supposed to decide.

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • usefullyadverb