a. Now rare; freq. in 17th and 18th c. [f. SUCCESS sb. + -LESS.] Without, or having no, success; unsuccessful.
1584. Peele, Arraignm. Paris, I. v. How mighty men made foul successless war Against the gods.
1589. Warner, Alb. Eng., VI. xxx. (1612), 149. Successlesse … and inraged.
1615. G. Sandys, Trav., 9. Divers great Princes,… with Successlesse labor, have attempted to make that rockie streight a navigable passage.
1641. Remonstr. Commons, in Rushw., Hist. Coll. (1692), III. I. 440. An expenceful and successless attempt upon Calez.
1665. Dryden, Ind. Emp., II. i. The hopes of thy successless love resign.
1682. Sir T. Browne, Chr. Mor., I. § 18. That may succeed with one which may prove successless with another.
1713. Addison, Cato, I. i. Passion unpity’d, and successless love Plant daggers in my heart.
1782. Miss Burney, Cecilia, II. v. Belfield fired first, and missed; the Baronet was not so successless.
1820. J. Clare, Poems Rural Life (ed. 3), 138. By successless sallies wearied quite.
1875. Browning, Aristoph. Apol., 134. He sympathizes, he concerns himself, He pens epistle, each successless play.
1892. T. R. Lounsbury, Stud. Chaucer, I. i. 56. To make out he best showing possible for the English of a successless campaign.
Hence Successlessly adv., Successlessness.
1642. O. Sedgwick, Eng. Preserv., 40. Like him in the Gospel who began to build, but did not make an end: Whereupon results a vanity and successelesnesse to our workes.
1652. Heylin, Cosmogr., IV. 110. Successlessly again attempted.
1744. Birch, Life of Boyle, 27. After the queen’s and others doctors remedies had been successlessly tried.
1827. Blackw. Mag., XXI. 790. We tried … on three days, successively and successlessly.
1906. B. Capes, Loaves & Fishes, 204. He permitted his employers so to presume upon his reputation for successlessness.
