This adjective means 'useless' or 'unprofitable,' describing what yields no benefit. Paul employs it with a twist in his letter to Philemon regarding the runaway slave Onesimus: 'Formerly he was useless (ἄχρηστος) to you, but now he is useful (εὔχρηστος) to both you and me' (Phlm 11). Paul puns on the name Onesimus ('useful') to underscore the transformation grace has wrought: what was worthless has become valuable through conversion. Classical usage ranges from 'ineffective' to 'unkind.' Paul's wordplay captures the gospel's power to redeem and repurpose, turning the useless into the indispensable.