Meaning & use
senseless
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Done without any good reason or purpose, and therefore stupid or wrong.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a senseless act; the violence was senseless.
Patterns
- a senseless act
- senseless violence
- it is senseless to do something
The argument was completely senseless; neither of them even remembered what started it.
It is senseless to buy a new phone every year when the old one still works perfectly.
Vandals caused senseless damage to the school playground over the weekend.
adjectivenot comparable
Unconscious and unable to feel or react, usually after a blow or accident.
Grammar: Often used after verbs like knock, beat, or fall: knocked senseless by a falling branch.
Patterns
- knocked senseless
- beaten senseless
- fall senseless to the ground
The boxer was knocked senseless in the second round and had to be helped out of the ring.
She fell from her horse and lay senseless on the grass until the ambulance arrived.
Common combinations
- senseless violence
- The mayor promised to tackle the senseless violence in the city center.
- senseless act
- Stealing the charity box was a senseless act that shocked the whole neighborhood.
- knock someone senseless
- The branch swung back and nearly knocked him senseless.
- senseless waste
- Leaving the lights on all night is a senseless waste of electricity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pointless
- Focuses on having no useful result, while senseless stresses the lack of any sensible reason.
- meaningless
- Suggests something has no importance or value, not necessarily that it is stupid.
- unconscious
- The medical word for the second sense; it is neutral, whereas senseless sounds more dramatic.
Opposites
Word family
- senselessly adverb
- In a way that shows no reason or purpose.
- senselessness noun
- The quality of being stupid or without purpose.
- sense noun
- Good judgment or practical understanding.
Commonly confused: senseless or sensible?
senseless vs sensible
Sensible means showing good judgment, almost the opposite of senseless.
Practice
The council called the attack a ______ act of vandalism with no clear motive.
Choose one answer.
Senseless means done without reason or purpose, which fits an attack with no motive. Sensible means showing good judgment, the opposite here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “senseless”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.