adjective
senseless
B1
'sinnlos' means senseless or pointless. It's a gradable adjective (comparative: sinnloser; superlative: am sinnlosesten) with the antonym 'sinnvoll'. Used attributively and predicatively (es ist sinnlos, etwas zu tun). No irregular forms; commonly collocates with 'zu' + infinitive to express futility.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Die Demonstranten handelten sinnlos, obwohl einige Redner sie zur Ruhe mahnten.
The demonstrators acted pointlessly, although some speakers urged them to calm down.
Die Diskussion war lange und am Ende völlig sinnlos.
The discussion was long and, in the end, completely senseless.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
a road sign with a question mark and a crossed-out idea bulb to show 'no sense'
think 'sin-less' — lacking sense
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Often used to criticize actions or arguments that lack purpose. Can be intensified with adverbs (völlig sinnlos, total sinnlos).