徒労(とろう)

とろう
noun
wasted effort; futile labor; vain attempt
formal
1. wasted effort; futile labor; fruitless work
Effort that produces no result; work done in vain. Emphasizes the pointlessness of the endeavor.
説得(せっとく)は徒労(とろう)に終(お)わった。
The attempt to persuade ended in vain.
これ以上(いじょう)探(さが)しても徒労(とろう)だと思(おも)う。
I think searching any further would be a waste of effort.
何時間(なんじかん)もかけて準備(じゅんび)したが、イベントが中止(ちゅうし)になり、すべてが徒労(とろう)に終(お)わった。
I spent hours preparing, but the event was canceled and it was all for nothing.

Usage

徒労(とろう) is a somewhat formal word used to describe effort that yielded no results. The most common pattern is 徒労(とろう)に終(お)わる (to end in futility).

Common collocations

  • 徒労(とろう)に終(お)わる (to end in vain)
  • 徒労(とろう)に帰(き)す (to come to nothing — literary)
  • 徒労(とろう)感(かん) (a sense of wasted effort)

Similar words

Related Words

Synonym: 骨折(ほねお)り損(ぞん) (wasted effort; fruitless labor)
Synonym: 無駄(むだ) (waste, futility (casual))
Compare: 無駄骨(むだぼね) (wasted effort)
Compare: 報(むく)われない (unrewarded)
general
Added 2026.3.7 18:34 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
15500/15513_torou