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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 His death is a senseless tragedy that has left our family shattered. Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025 The truth is that both conservatives and progressives are saddened by the senseless loss of this young father, regardless of any disagreement with his political and religious beliefs. Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025 Stolen by a senseless act of violence, his family said. Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 2025 There is no place in our state for this type of senseless violence. Sophia Compton , Elizabeth Pritchett , Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for senseless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for senseless
Adjective
  • Advertisement Whether out of unconscious sexism, his infatuation with her, or both, Lee was catastrophically wrong in assuming that Betty Jo was an innocent victim in the Washberg affair.
    Judy Berman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Jokes and dreams are two of the best ways to reveal someone’s unconscious life.
    Big Think, Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Without the artist, the law becomes meaningless.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
  • On Saturday, a group of Texas A&M fans gathered in a hole in the LSU student section and did some of LSU’s cheers after the Tigers scored a meaningless touchdown in the final moments.
    Chris Vannini, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • As Legally Blonde's Elle Woods, Witherspoon charted a memorable path from dumb blonde to Harvard Law School graduate.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Celebrities fight it out to be eliminated from the competition as quickly as possible to avoid being crowned the nation’s dumbest.
    Peter White, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • That was questionable, but not egregiously foolish, in our view, because of the limited amount of time left.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Another agent pointed to how contractions in post-strike, post-pandemic Hollywood have decimated the theater business, creating new opportunities that Netflix would be foolish to pass up.
    Chris Lee, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Many people backed his daughter because there was a dog outside in a way, while others acknowledge how creepy that inanimate face could be to a child.
    Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Thin bony fingers as inanimate as dry cigarette papers.
    Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 16 July 2025
Adjective
  • What gave me the crazy idea to stand at the bar, listening to that woman being praised for her stupid f---ing commitment to New York City and her ugly f---ing buildings?
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Her mechanism for luring victims involves a stick, someone’s hair, her blood, and another person stupid enough to let her through their front door.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The brazen, silly grandeur of the piece was astounding.
    David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The Saturday Night Live alum's vast tattoo collection, at one point made up of around 200 pieces of body art, includes ink dedicated to his former girlfriends, as well as more silly, lighthearted designs.
    Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
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 15 Nov. 2025.

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