Definition

Noun: A cause, goal, or effort that has already failed or is certain to fail, making further effort pointless.

Usage

The term "lost cause" is used to describe a situation, campaign, or ideal that is hopeless and cannot succeed. It implies that continuing to support or work for it is a waste of time and resources.

Examples

• The campaign to save the old theater was a lost cause; the demolition had already been approved.
• Trying to convince him to change his mind is a lost cause.
• Some historians view the final years of the war as a fight for a lost cause.

Advanced Usage

• To be a lost cause: This is the most common construction.
  • This old computer is a lost cause; it's time to buy a new one.
• To fight for a lost cause: Emphasizes the futility of the struggle.
  • The lawyer knew she was fighting for a lost cause, but she wanted her client to have a proper defense.

Variants and Related Words

• Cause (n): A principle, aim, or movement that one is prepared to support or advocate for.
• Hopeless (adj): Having no hope or chance of success or improvement.

Synonyms

• Hopeless case
• Futile effort
• Doomed enterprise

Idioms and Phrases

• A losing battle: A very similar idiom meaning a struggle that cannot be won.
  • Trying to keep the house clean with three dogs is a losing battle.

Noun

1. a defeated cause or a cause for which defeat is inevitable