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 Ten years after losing her father to a senseless tragedy, bride Jeni Stepien walked toward her future husband, Paul Maenner, on the arm of the one man who could testify that her father’s heart was still beating. — Staff, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for senseless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for senseless
Adjective
  • Together, the four officers dragged the unconscious man into the hallway.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Like Dominique Pelicot, the French man who used the online chat platform Coco to recruit men to rape his drugged and unconscious wife, the @SteveCumfulls of the world thrive on the internet’s reach and de-facto anonymity.
    — Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Over the next two games, defenses stopped Baugh in his tracks, limiting him to just 72 yards on 27 carries and a meaningless TD late in a 38-19 loss to South Carolina.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The point is that in this new format, games that take place in September, or even early October, will feel more meaningless than ever.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Doing so would be a stupid move for an Oval Office wannabe, one already hobbled by the progressive persona of the Golden State.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Republican Massachusetts Senate nominee John Deaton is not stupid.
    — Jon Keller, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Soaking the suburbs over parking is reminiscent of other foolish, revenue-grabbing ideas, such as a congestion tax aimed at outsiders as a way to gin up money to cover Chicago’s ever-present budget black hole.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • With Oracle having lost more than $20 billion in stock-market value today, this appears to be penny-wise and pound foolish.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The inanimate matter of the Earth endures, as does its atmosphere.
    — Eileen Hunt, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Adjective
  • Wow, the brown Democratic candidate calling the white Republican candidate a dumb immigrant — California politics sure have changed!
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • His current employer is Damien Cantor, an authentically sleazy and slippery character who operates under no discernible code beyond indulging a dumb, preening narcissism.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • But seeing my parents examining themselves in that way and connecting with people and putting themselves in vulnerable and silly and meaningful situations.
    — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
  • That scene was always the silliest in the American version, and its absence in the international edition was a wise choice.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Police began showing up, flummoxed in the face of an irate attorney, indifferent third-party technicians, and insensate machines.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Senseless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/senseless. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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