senseless

English

Alternative forms

senselesse (obsolete)

Etymology

From sense +‎ -less. Compare Saterland Frisian sinloos (“senseless, foolish”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsɛnsləs/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Hyphenation: sense‧less

Adjective

senseless (comparative more senseless, superlative most senseless)

Without feeling or desire to work; deprived of sensation.
Synonyms: unconscious, insensible

The blow to his head rendered him senseless; he didn’t awaken until he was in the ambulance.
- 1818, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “(please specify the page)”, in The Revolt of Islam; […], London: […] [F]or C[harles] and J[ames] Ollier, […]; by B[uchanan] M‘Millan, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):
  That hoary man had spent his livelong age / In converse with the dead, who leave the stamp / Of ever-burning thoughts on many a page, / When they are gone into the senseless damp / Of graves; […]
Lacking meaning or purpose; without common sense.
Synonyms: pointless, meaningless

What a senseless waste of money.
Without a discernible meaning or purpose, especially of a violent or evil act.
The school shooting was a senseless act of violence.
Without consideration, awareness or sound judgement
Synonyms: unreasonable, unwise, stupid

He took senseless risks, not even aware of the danger he was in.
- 1762, Horace Walpole, “State of Painting from the Reign of Henry III. to the End of Henry VI.”, in Anecdotes of Painting in England; […], volume I, London: […] Thomas Farmer […], →OCLC, pages 39–40:
  [T]he King vvas obliged to qualify his grant, by eſtabliſhing betvveen the contending parties a rotation of ſeniority, each to take place alternately for a year, the ſurvivor to precede for his life the heir of the other, and ſo in perpetuum. A ſenſeleſs jumble, ſoon liquidated by a more egregious act of folly, the King vvith his ovvn hand crovvning the young Duke of VVarvvick King of the Iſle of VVight— […]

Related terms

Translations

bereft of feeling

Bulgarian: безчувствен (bg) (bezčuvstven)
Danish: følelsesløs
Finnish: tunnoton (fi)
Galician: sen sentido
German: empfindungslos, ohne Gefühl
Hindi: भावहीन (bhāvhīn)
Portuguese: insensível (pt)
Russian: бесчу́вственный (ru) (besčúvstvennyj)

bereft of consciousness

Bulgarian: в безсъзнание (v bezsǎznanie)
Danish: bevidstløs
Finnish: tajuton (fi)
German: ohnmächtig (de), bewusstlos (de), besinnungslos (de)
Italian: svenuto (it)
Portuguese: inconsciente (pt)
Russian: без созна́ния (ru) (bez soznánija), бесчу́вственный (ru) (besčúvstvennyj)
Turkish: baygın (tr)

lacking meaning or purpose

Bulgarian: безсмислен (bg) (bezsmislen)
Danish: sanseløs
Esperanto: sensenca
Finnish: järjetön (fi), mieletön (fi), älytön (fi), älyvapaa (fi)
Galician: sen razón
German: sinnlos (de)
Hindi: अर्थहीन (hi) (arthahīn), निरर्थक (hi) (nirarthak)
Irish: gan chiall
Italian: senza capo né coda
Latvian: bezjēdzīgs
Maori: koretake
Norwegian:
Bokmål: meningsløs, meiningslaus

Nynorsk: meiningslaus
Plautdietsch: sennlooss, onveninftich
Portuguese: absurdo (pt)
Russian: бессмы́сленный (ru) (bessmýslennyj)
Ukrainian: безглу́здий (uk) (bezhlúzdyj)

without consideration

Bulgarian: необмислен (bg) (neobmislen)
Finnish: järjetön (fi), mieletön (fi), älytön (fi), älyvapaa (fi)
Galician: irracional
German: unüberlegt (de), unvernünftig (de), vernunftlos (de)
Greek:
Ancient: ἄφρων (áphrōn)
Hindi: विचारहीन (vicārhīn)
Irish: díchéillí
Latin: excors
Manx: meecheeallagh
Maori: pōrewarewa, pōrewharewha
Portuguese: insensível (pt)
Russian: бессмы́сленный (ru) (bessmýslennyj), необду́манный (ru) (neobdúmannyj)
Ukrainian: безглу́здий (uk) (bezhlúzdyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} sensenca

References

“senseless”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
“senseless”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.