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 stupid
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 Despite a ticking clock that seemingly guarantees the girl’s senseless death will be discarded as a cold case, Noelle is determined to uncover the truth. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 19 June 2026 This country is grieving too many senseless and violent deaths and shootings. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 June 2026 The tragicomic, by contrast, elevates mixed affect as an ethical experience of a senseless world. — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026 As a ruthless hitman (Javier Bardem) tries to track him down, the local sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to make sense of it all and faces an existential crisis about the senseless violence of the world today. — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for senseless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for senseless
Adjective
  • Narges Mohammadi, 54, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, was temporarily released from prison for medical reasons earlier this year after falling unconscious and being transferred to a hospital.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Sharaf connected with a clean 1-2 combination, with the left hook turning Steveson’s head and leaving the Olympic gold medalist unconscious on the canvas.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Having a talent advantage is meaningless if the Horned Frogs aren’t focused on the opponent directly in front of them.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Eventually, my mother comes downstairs again and puts her arms around him and holds him, whispering something to him, words that to me are meaningless and incomprehensible.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Whatever to the silly old poem and whatever to the ceremony and all its stupid little details and whatever to all the rules for daughters.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Militarizing an arch in front of the Memorial Bridge is an even more dangerous and stupid idea than turning a ballroom into a bastion.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • While the era’s bust eventually brought most of those ventures to an end, Brown said the experience taught him not to let the fear of failure—or looking foolish—get in the way.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Cousins made two foolish mistakes, on the interceptions by Trader and Taaffe.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Then, in European culture, Christianity appeared, a religion which made an astonishing discovery, namely, that the primary cause for everything—humans, animals, nature, fertility, the inanimate world, the universe, the cosmos—could be concentrated into one single point.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • As a result, the concept of animal rights was non-existent and people were free to treat animals like any other inanimate property.
    — Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026
Adjective
  • Here, in this image of an ingenious skidding kitten—in both its brutality and its beautiful, dumb, playful resilience—lies the wisdom of Marcon’s art.
    — Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Combined with a brutal noon start time that provided no shade or relief throughout the game, the conditions meant there weren’t many fans brave enough, or quite frankly dumb enough, to endure a heat index of roughly 105 degrees.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Whatever to the silly old poem and whatever to the ceremony and all its stupid little details and whatever to all the rules for daughters.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • His faith in the transformative power of a deeply silly musical about nosy neighbors provides the film with its strongest anchor of relatable humanity.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • This insensate gaze is one that cannot be returned, as Jacques Lacan observed of the camera pointed at him during his performative lecture Télévision, recorded in 1973 and broadcast on prime-time TV in France.
    — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Senseless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/senseless. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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