senseless

English

Alternative forms

• senselesse (obsolete)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sent-der.

Proto-Italic *sentiō

Latin sentiō

Proto-Indo-European *-tus

Proto-Italic *-tus

Latin -tus

Latin sēnsusbor.

Proto-Germanic *sinnaz

Frankish *sinnbor.

Vulgar Latin *sennus

Old French sensbor.

Middle English sense

English sense

Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der.

Proto-Germanic *leusaną

Proto-Germanic *lausaz

Proto-Germanic *-lausaz

Proto-West Germanic *-laus

Old English -lēas

Middle English -les

English -less

English senseless

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)

1. 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; […]

2. Lacking meaning or purpose; without common sense.

   Synonyms: pointless, meaningless

   What a senseless waste of money.

3. Without a discernible meaning or purpose, especially of a violent or evil act.

   The school shooting was a senseless act of violence.

   • 2023 December 22, Ivana Kottasová, “Prague in shock and horror after ‘senseless’ shooting attack leaves 14 dead”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     Addressing the nation on Thursday, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the shooting “a senseless attack” and said “this Christmas will be unimaginably sad.”

   • 2024 July 24, Emma Tucker and Bill Kirkos, “What we know about the deputy charged with killing Sonya Massey in her home after she called 911 for help”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     At the news conference, Crump called her killing “senseless on every level.”

4. 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

• sense
• senseful
• senselessly
• senselessness

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 bezsăznanie)
• Danish: bevidstløs
• Finnish: tajuton (fi)
• German: ohnmächtig (de), bewusstlos (de), besinnungslos (de)
• Hindi: मूर्छित (mūrchit)
• Italian: svenuto (it)
• Portuguese: inconsciente (pt)
• Russian: без созна́ния (ru) (bez soznánija), бесчу́вственный (ru) (besčúvstvennyj)
• Turkish: baygın (tr)

lacking meaning or purpose — see also meaningless,‎ pointless

• 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
• Māori: koretake
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: meningsløs, meiningslaus

  Nynorsk: meiningslaus

• Plautdietsch: sennlooss, onveninftich
• Portuguese: absurdo (pt)
• Russian: бессмы́сленный (ru) (bessmýslennyj)
• Spanish: sin sentido, no tener sentido (to be senseless)
• 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 Greek: ἄφρων (áphrōn)

• Hindi: विचारहीन (vicārhīn)
• Irish: díchéillí
• Latin: excors
• Manx: meecheeallagh
• Māori: 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

See also

• (deprived of sensation): ageusia, analgesia, anosmia, blind, deaf, hypoesthesia, numbness, paralysis

References

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “senseless”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “senseless”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.