Definition of senselessnext
1
as in unconscious
having lost consciousness she collapsed, senseless, after hitting her head

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2
3
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily he may be a little absentminded, but he's really not as senseless as he seems

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4
5
as in inanimate
lacking animate awareness or sensation even the senseless sea seemed determined to swamp the storm-tossed ship

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of senseless Following the death of his son in a senseless crime, a father’s obsession with finding the killer leads him into a painful search for truth, redemption, and the meaning of forgiveness. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026 Tributes continue to pour into East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore lost her life in a senseless shooting Wednesday. Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026 The loss of books is minor, almost trivial, in light of all the horrors and violence unleashed by this senseless war, but the potential loss of these books is a sad reminder that we’re all affected and implicated in America’s savage flailings. James Folta, Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026 Her stint in gritty BBC drama Damilola, Our Loved Boy retold one of Britain’s most tragic cases involving the senseless killing of a young boy and earned her her first BAFTA. Kemi Alemoru, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for senseless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for senseless
Adjective
  • Upon arrival, officers found the man lying on the ground, unconscious and cold to the touch, the department said.
    Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 4 May 2026
  • Parker and Larsen arrived at the home and found two men unconscious in a hallway between a bedroom and a bathroom.
    Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
Adjective
  • The second happens when the cords of logic break entirely; these patients jump from idea to idea in a meaningless way, and their speech is nonsensical—what doctors call word salad.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
  • And at the same time, how meaningless a basketball game actually was in the bigger scheme of things.
    Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Does that kind of discourse-friendly success override the fact that Euphoria is too young, too scummy, and too dumb to fit into the usual Emmy pattern?
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 May 2026
  • And that’s where things somehow got even dumber After being questioned by security, Beyer reportedly gave a fake name, which prompted them to call police.
    Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • When a Republican says something foolish, network anchors react like a gator just crawled into the studio wearing a MAGA hat.
    Larry Clifton, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
  • If Florida is worried about China’s rise, dismantling educational and cultural exchanges is a foolish response.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • But there are inanimate pets in the cemetery.
    Jennie Key, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Mar. 2026
  • On the morning after the hurricane, these objects revert to their inanimate status quo—but the deviation has been recorded, as fiction.
    Hannah Gold, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran — theyr’e not stupid.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 May 2026
  • That was celebrated by the lefties as liberation, or something stupid like that.
    Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Adjective
  • Not bad for a silly movie about killer worms from outer space.
    Richard Edwards, Space.com, 1 May 2026
  • The idea seemed silly at first — who would be interested in a bean box subscription?
    Angela Osorio, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Adjective
  • The brain, like other internal organs, is insensate, its lack of sensory receptors attested by videos of virtuoso violinists who play on unfazed as neurosurgeons go to work inside their skulls.
    Matthew Ponsford, WIRED, 19 Sep. 2024
  • But states have used midazolam alone — and at much higher doses — in executions since 2013, claiming the drug will render people insensate to pain before the administration of other lethal injection drugs.
    Lauren Gill, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Senseless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/senseless. Accessed 8 May. 2026.

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