noun, na-adjective
futility; waste; uselessness; pointlessness; idleness
Describes something that is pointless, wasteful, or without effect. Commonly used as a noun or na-adjective. Often appears in phrases like 無駄になる (go to waste) or 無駄にする (waste).
時間を無駄にしないでください。
Please don't waste time.
彼の努力は無駄になった。
His efforts came to nothing.
無駄な抵抗はやめなさい。
Stop your futile resistance.
Rarely used kanji form.
The kanji 無駄 is ateji (phonetic) for the native Japanese word むだ. The exact origin of むだ is uncertain, but it may be related to the idea of 'emptiness' or 'nothingness'.