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 …

—Arthur Conan Doyle

c

: meaningless

a senseless murder

senselessly adverb

senselessness noun

Synonyms of senseless

• 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

The boy’s family and county leaders are renewing their plea for witnesses to come forward, saying justice for a child lost to senseless street violence is long overdue. —Seamus Bozeman follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

Season 2 opens with a senseless act of violence. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 June 2026

The moves were senseless, short-sighted and emblematic of everything wrong with professional sports in this day and age. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 19 May 2026

The ordeal was no longer a senseless drive to nowhere but a sensible one to nowhere. —Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for senseless

• defenseless

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