senseless

adjective

sense·​less ˈsen(t)s-ləs 

: destitute of, deficient in, or contrary to sense: such as

a

: unconscious

knocked senseless

b

: foolish, stupid

it was some senseless practical joke

—A. Conan Doyle

c

: meaningless

a senseless murder

senselessly adverb

senselessness noun

Synonyms

• cold
• insensible
• unconscious

Examples of senseless in a Sentence

Don't be such a senseless idiot!

she collapsed, senseless, after hitting her head

Recent Examples on the Web

But transport yourself back to the early 20th century: at the same time that senseless World Wars were prompting Surrealists to lose faith in rationality, quantum physics came around, too, showing us yet another way in which common sense is good for little. —Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 20 Dec. 2024

Part of what makes grappling with these issues so difficult is that mass shootings are, by definition, senseless acts of violence. —Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 19 Dec. 2024

In the face of senseless hatred, Rabbi Kogan chose a path of light. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

In response to the tragedy, Nicole Hockley, co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise and mother to Dylan Hockley, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, said that this attack is shocking and senseless. —Louis Casiano, Fox News, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

senseless

adjective

sense·​less ˈsen(t)-sləs 

1

: unconscious entry 1 sense 2

knocked senseless

2

: foolish, stupid

3

: pointless sense 1, meaningless

a senseless act

senselessly adverb

senselessness noun