Useful vs. Use — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 7, 2024
Useful pertains to being practical and beneficial in application, while use refers to the act of employing something for a specific purpose.
Difference Between Useful and Use
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Useful describes something that provides benefit or adds value in practical scenarios, enhancing efficiency or effectiveness. Use, on the other hand, broadly encompasses the act of employing anything for a particular purpose, irrespective of its effectiveness.
Something considered useful inherently suggests it has qualities or features that make it beneficial to the user. Whereas use does not imply any inherent value or effectiveness, focusing more on the action itself.
In linguistic contexts, "useful" functions as an adjective, describing objects, tools, information, or actions. On the other hand, "use" can function as both a noun, describing the action of using, and a verb, pertaining to the act of employing.
The usefulness of an item or tool often leads to its frequent use; however, frequent use does not necessarily indicate that something is useful, as it might simply be habitual or the only option available.
Items described as useful are often recommended for specific tasks, suggesting suitability and desirability. In contrast, use is more neutral and simply describes the act of employing or applying something, without suggesting its value.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Adjective
Noun, Verb
Implication
Implies practicality and benefit
Refers to the act of employing
Usage in Sentence
"This tool is very useful for gardening."
"I will use this tool for gardening."
Context
Often positive, suggesting suitability and desirability
Neutral, focusing on the action
Frequency
Describes potential frequent utility due to benefits
May refer to regular or occasional application
Compare with Definitions
Useful
Worth having or employing due to practicality.
That's a useful feature in this software.
Use
Act of employing something.
The use of pesticides has increased.
Useful
Providing benefit or advantage in a practical way.
A useful app saves time on daily tasks.
Use
To employ for a purpose.
I use this technique to solve problems.
Useful
Serving a purpose effectively.
This book is useful for learning new languages.
Use
The manner or way something is used.
His use of the tool was incorrect.
Useful
Helpful or beneficial.
These tutorials are useful for beginners.
Use
Purpose for which something is used.
The primary use of this device is communication.
Useful
Desirable or suitable for a specific need.
Her insights were particularly useful during the meeting.
Use
Consumption of resources.
The use of natural resources must be managed.
Useful
Able to be used for a practical purpose or in several ways
Aspirins are useful for headaches
Use
Take, hold, or deploy (something) as a means of accomplishing or achieving something; employ
She used her key to open the front door
The poem uses simple language
Useful
Having a beneficial use; serviceable
A useful kitchen gadget.
Use
Take or consume (an amount) from a limited supply
We have used all the available funds
Useful
Being of practical use
A useful job.
Useful members of society.
Use
Describing an action or situation that was done repeatedly or existed for a period in the past
This road used to be a dirt track
I used to give him lifts home
Useful
Having a practical or beneficial use.
Use
Be or become familiar with (someone or something) through experience
She was used to getting what she wanted
He's weird, but you just have to get used to him
Useful
Full of use, advantage, or profit; producing, or having power to produce, good; serviceable for any end or object; helpful toward advancing any purpose; beneficial; profitable; advantageous; as, vessels and instruments useful in a family; books useful for improvement; useful knowledge; useful arts.
To what can I useful!
Use
One would like or benefit from
I could use another cup of coffee
Useful
Being of use or service;
The girl felt motherly and useful
A useful job
A useful member of society
Use
The action of using something or the state of being used for a purpose
Hyper-modern trains are now in use
The software is ideal for use in schools
Theatre owners were charging too much for the use of their venues
Useful
Of great importance or use or service;
Useful information
Valuable advice
Use
The value or advantage of something
It was no use trying to persuade her
What's the use of crying?
Useful
Capable of being turned to use or account;
Useful applications of calculus
Use
The habitual consumption of a drug
Burgling and dealing financed their heroin use
Useful
Having a useful function;
Utilitarian steel tables
Use
The characteristic ritual and liturgy of a Christian Church or diocese.
Use
To put into service or employ for a purpose
I used a whisk to beat the eggs. The song uses only three chords.
Use
To avail oneself of; practice
Use caution.
Use
To conduct oneself toward; treat or handle
"the peace offering of a man who once used you unkindly" (Laurence Sterne).
Use
To seek or achieve an end by means of; exploit
Used their highly placed friends to gain access to the president.
Felt he was being used by seekers of favor.
Use
To take or consume for a purpose
She used her savings to buy a computer.
Use
To partake of, especially as a habit
She rarely uses alcohol.
Use
(ys, yst) Used in the past tense followed by to in order to indicate a former state, habitual practice, or custom
Mail service used to be faster.
Use
(Slang) To take an illegal or narcotic drug, especially as a habit.
Use
The act of using something; the application or employment of something for a purpose
With the use of a calculator.
Skilled in the use of the bow and arrow.
Use
The condition or fact of being used
A chair in regular use.
Use
The manner of using; usage
Learned the proper use of power tools.
Use
The permission, privilege, or benefit of using something
Gave us the use of their summerhouse.
Use
The power or ability to use something
Lost the use of one arm.
Use
The need or occasion to use or employ something
I have no use for these old clothes.
Use
The quality of being suitable or adaptable to an end; usefulness
I tried to be of use in the kitchen.
Use
A purpose for which something is used
A tool with several uses.
A pretty bowl, but of what use is it?.
Use
Gain or advantage; good
There's no use in discussing it. What's the use?.
Use
Accustomed or usual procedure or practice
"We are but creatures of use and custom" (Mark Twain).
Use
A particular custom or practice
Uses introduced by recent immigrants.
Use
Enjoyment of property, as by occupying or employing it.
Use
The benefit or profit of lands and tenements of which the legal title is vested in another.
Use
The arrangement establishing the equitable right to such benefits and profits.
Use
A liturgical form practiced in a particular church, ecclesiastical district, or community.
Use
The act of using.
The use of torture has been condemned by the United Nations.
Use
(uncountable) The act of consuming alcohol or narcotics.
Use
Usefulness, benefit.
What's the use of a law that nobody follows?
Use
A function; a purpose for which something may be employed.
This tool has many uses.
Use
Occasion or need to employ; necessity.
I have no further use for these textbooks.
Use
Interest for lent money; premium paid for the use of something; usury.
Use
(archaic) Continued or repeated practice; usage; habit.
Use
(obsolete) Common occurrence; ordinary experience.
Use
(Christianity) The special form of ritual adopted for use in any diocese.
The Sarum, or Canterbury, use; the Hereford use; the York use; the Roman use; etc.
Use
(forging) A slab of iron welded to the side of a forging, such as a shaft, near the end, and afterward drawn down, by hammering, so as to lengthen the forging.
Use
To utilize or employ.
Use
(transitive) To employ; to apply; to utilize.
Use this knife to slice the bread.
We can use this mathematical formula to solve the problem.
Use
To expend; to consume by employing.
I used the money they allotted me.
We should use up most of the fuel.
She used all the time allotted to complete the test.
Use
(transitive) To exploit.
You never cared about me; you just used me!
Use
(transitive) To consume (alcohol, drugs, etc), especially regularly.
He uses cocaine. I have never used drugs.
Use
(intransitive) To consume a previously specified substance, especially a drug to which one is addicted.
Richard began experimenting with cocaine last year; now he uses almost every day.
Use
To benefit from; to be able to employ or stand.
I could use a drink. My car could use a new coat of paint.
Use
To accustom; to habituate. Now common only in participial form. Uses the same pronunciation as the noun; see usage notes.
Use
To become accustomed, to accustom oneself.
Use
To suggest, request, demand or expect that other people use a specific set of gender pronouns when referring to the subject.
I use they/them pronouns.
Use
To habitually do; to be wont to do. (Now chiefly in past-tense forms; see used to.)
I used to get things done.
Use
(dated) To behave toward; to act with regard to; to treat.
To use an animal cruelly
Use
To behave, act, comport oneself.
Use
The act of employing anything, or of applying it to one's service; the state of being so employed or applied; application; employment; conversion to some purpose; as, the use of a pen in writing; his machines are in general use.
Books can never teach the use of books.
This Davy serves you for good uses.
When he framedAll things to man's delightful use.
Use
Occasion or need to employ; necessity; as, to have no further use for a book.
Use
Yielding of service; advantage derived; capability of being used; usefulness; utility.
God made two great lights, great for their useTo man.
'T is use alone that sanctifies expense.
Use
Continued or repeated practice; customary employment; usage; custom; manner; habit.
Let later age that noble use envy.
How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable,Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Use
Common occurrence; ordinary experience.
O Cæsar! these things are beyond all use.
Use
The special form of ritual adopted for use in any diocese; as, the Sarum, or Canterbury, use; the Hereford use; the York use; the Roman use; etc.
From henceforth all the whole realm shall have but one use.
Use
The premium paid for the possession and employment of borrowed money; interest; usury.
Thou art more obliged to pay duty and tribute, use and principal, to him.
Use
The benefit or profit of lands and tenements. Use imports a trust and confidence reposed in a man for the holding of lands. He to whose use or benefit the trust is intended shall enjoy the profits. An estate is granted and limited to A for the use of B.
Use
A stab of iron welded to the side of a forging, as a shaft, near the end, and afterward drawn down, by hammering, so as to lengthen the forging.
Use
To make use of; to convert to one's service; to avail one's self of; to employ; to put a purpose; as, to use a plow; to use a chair; to use time; to use flour for food; to use water for irrigation.
Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs.
Some other means I have which may be used.
Use
To behave toward; to act with regard to; to treat; as, to use a beast cruelly.
How wouldst thou use me now?
Cato has used me ill.
Use
To practice customarily; to make a practice of; as, to use diligence in business.
Use hospitality one to another.
Use
To accustom; to habituate; to render familiar by practice; to inure; - employed chiefly in the passive participle; as, men used to cold and hunger; soldiers used to hardships and danger.
I am so used in the fire to blow.
Thou with thy compeers,Used to the yoke, draw'st his triumphant wheels.
I would, my son, that thou wouldst use the powerWhich thy discretion gives thee, to controlAnd manage all.
To study nature will thy time employ:Knowledge and innocence are perfect joy.
Use
To be wont or accustomed; to be in the habit or practice; as, he used to ride daily; - now disused in the present tense, perhaps because of the similarity in sound, between "use to," and "used to."
They use to place him that shall be their captain on a stone.
Fears use to be represented in an imaginary.
Thus we use to say, it is the room that smokes, when indeed it is the fire in the room.
Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp.
Use
To be accustomed to go; to frequent; to inhabit; to dwell; - sometimes followed by of.
He useth every day to a merchant's house.
Ye valleys low, where the mild whispers useOf shades, and wanton winds, and gushing brooks.
Use
The act of using;
He warned against the use of narcotic drugs
Skilled in the utilization of computers
Use
A particular service;
He put his knowledge to good use
Patrons have their uses
Use
What something is used for;
The function of an auger is to bore holes
Ballet is beautiful but what use is it?
Use
(economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing;
The consumption of energy has increased steadily
Use
A pattern of behavior acquired through frequent repetition;
She had a habit twirling the ends of her hair
Long use had hardened him to it
Use
(law) the exercise of the legal right to enjoy the benefits of owning property;
We were given the use of his boat
Use
Exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage;
His manipulation of his friends was scandalous
Use
Put into service; make work or employ (something) for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose;
Use your head!
We only use Spanish at home
I can't make use of this tool
Apply a magnetic field here
This thinking was applied to many projects
How do you utilize this tool?
I apply this rule to get good results
Use the plastic bags to store the food
He doesn't know how to use a computer
Use
Take or consume (regularly or habitually);
She uses drugs rarely
Use
Seek or achieve an end by using to one's advantage;
She uses her influential friends to get jobs
The president's wife used her good connections
Use
Use up, consume fully;
The legislature expended its time on school questions
Use
Avail oneself to;
Apply a principle
Practice a religion
Use care when going down the stairs
Use your common sense
Practice non-violent resistance
Use
Habitually do something (use only in the past tense);
She used to call her mother every week but now she calls only occasionally
I used to get sick when I ate in that dining hall
They used to vacation in the Bahamas
Common Curiosities
Can you provide an example where something is not useful but still in use?
An outdated software may still be in use due to familiarity or lack of alternatives, even if it is no longer considered useful.
What is the primary difference between 'useful' and 'use'?
'Useful' describes something's ability to provide benefit or value, while 'use' refers to the act of employing something for a specific purpose.
How can the use of an object change over time?
The use of an object can change due to technological advancements, new discoveries, or changes in user needs, affecting whether it is deemed useful.
Is there a scenario where 'useful' and 'use' can be synonymous?
Not directly synonymous, but both can be related when discussing the practical applications of an object; if something is useful, it is likely to be put to use more frequently.
How does culture affect what is considered useful?
Cultural values and norms can shape what is considered useful, as they influence priority needs and ways of living.
How do you determine if something is useful?
Something is considered useful if it consistently provides a practical benefit or improves efficiency in its intended application.
Can the term 'use' imply effectiveness like 'useful'?
No, 'use' neutrally describes the action of employing something, without implying its effectiveness or value, unlike 'useful'.
Why might someone use an item that isn’t useful?
They might use it out of habit, due to a lack of better alternatives, or because they have a sentimental attachment to it.
Are there industries where the distinction between 'useful' and 'use' is particularly important?
In technology and healthcare, where effectiveness and practical application are critical, distinguishing between 'useful' (effective) and 'use' (employment) is vital.
How can businesses ensure their products remain useful?
Businesses can ensure their products remain useful by continually adapting to customer feedback, market trends, and technological advancements to meet evolving needs effectively.
Can something be useful for one person and not for another?
Absolutely, as usefulness often depends on individual needs, preferences, and situations.
What role does context play in determining whether something is useful?
Context is crucial as it determines the specific needs and conditions under which something is considered useful.
What impact does user experience have on the perception of usefulness?
User experience heavily influences perceptions of usefulness; a positive experience can enhance the perceived value and practicality of an item.
What are some synonyms for 'useful' and how do they differ slightly?
Synonyms include 'beneficial', 'practical', 'helpful', each emphasizing slightly different aspects of utility and advantage.
Is there an ethical dimension to using something that is not useful?
Yes, using something that is not useful could be considered wasteful or inefficient, raising ethical concerns about resource use and sustainability.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
