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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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 Tolstoy hoped those heroic fictions, designed to inspire young men to pursue senseless deaths, would be undone as war began to disturb peace. Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 June 2025 Our hearts are with her, her family, and everyone affected by this senseless act of violence. Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 29 May 2025 Despite industry claims, nonessential (tourist and commuter) helicopters contribute little to the local economy, and the impact to tax-paying residents of noise and air pollution, the reduction of property values, and the senseless and avoidable loss of life, has a far higher cost. Eric Katzman, New York Daily News, 25 May 2025 And there are families that are suffering tonight, that are grieving and this is an absolutely senseless tragedy. Jordan King shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for senseless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for senseless
Adjective
  • Man who caused crash was ‘crying on his knees’ When police arrived at the crash, Brooke was found unconscious and bleeding from her head, according to court documents.
    Amaia Gavica, Idaho Statesman, 26 June 2025
  • Some recounted seeing a man knocked unconscious, a flight attendant who suffered an injury to their arm and another burned by hot water that spilled from the drink cart.
    Colson Thayer, People.com, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Americans face Haiti in a meaningless group-stage match Sunday before awaiting their yet-unknown quarters foe. 6.
    Greg Cote June 22, Miami Herald, 22 June 2025
  • If the packaging is inaccessible, the exemption is meaningless.
    Bill Schiffmiller, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.
    Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 July 2017
  • Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.
    Andy Benoit, The MMQB, 10 July 2017
Adjective
  • Making a prediction for Game 7 is obviously foolish.
    The Athletic NBA Staff, New York Times, 22 June 2025
  • This seems foolish since the U.S. has some 25-30% of the world’s coal, which is even more than China.
    Jude Clemente, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • Partners View all partners Tropical reefs might look like inanimate rock, but these colorful seascapes are built by tiny jellyfish-like animals called corals.
    Noam Vogt-Vincent, The Conversation, 6 June 2025
  • Still, what separates living, breathing beings from inanimate matter remains frustratingly set in my mind.
    Elizabeth Rush, The Atlantic, 26 May 2025
Adjective
  • Mexican men were dismissed as violent Panchos and stupid Pedros.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
  • There’s more stupid romance around harder substances but few chemicals are more hazardous to ambition than THC.
    Benjamin Hale June 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • Jeff: This has been such a silly way to seed the in-season tournament.
    Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 21 June 2025
  • Between silly videos and heartfelt tributes, Palmer has been relishing in motherhood.
    Kayla Grant, People.com, 20 June 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 4 Jul. 2025.

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