senseless
Americanadjective
-
destitute or deprived of sensation; unconscious.
- Synonyms:
- insensible, insensate
-
lacking mental perception, appreciation, or comprehension.
- Synonyms:
- undiscerning, unperceiving
- Antonyms:
- sensitive
-
stupid or foolish, as persons or actions.
- Antonyms:
- intelligent
-
nonsensical or meaningless, as words.
This letter is either cryptic or senseless.
adjective
-
lacking in sense; foolish
a senseless plan
-
lacking in feeling; unconscious
-
lacking in perception; stupid
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of senseless
Explanation
Senseless things have no meaning — you can't easily explain why they happen. Senseless people, on the other hand, are simply unconscious. This adjective often describes something terrible or violent, like a senseless accident or the senseless destruction of a city. It can also mean "done without thinking," or "lacking understanding," so a senseless student will give the teacher a blank look when their name is called, and a hiking trip across the Rockies in the winter would be senseless too. The "unconscious" meaning is the oldest, dating from the 1550s.
Vocabulary lists containing senseless
Power Suffix: -less
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -less
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-less
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What’s going to happen is very unclear, but in some sense, after all that effort to end that extremely costly and senseless arms race, we’re right back in the middle of it.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
“We will forever live with the burden of wondering whether there was more we could have done to help prevent this senseless tragedy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
"It's senseless really, but I think it is born out of frustration," she said.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
Speaking after the verdict, investigating officer Craig Nicholson described the crash as a "senseless tragedy".
From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026
Mrs. Myers handed out books almost as though she were President of the United States, dragging the distribution process out in senseless signings and ceremonies.
From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
