mindless
Americanadjective
-
without intelligence; senseless.
a mindless creature.
-
unmindful or heedless.
mindless of all dangers.
adjective
-
stupid or careless
-
requiring little or no intellectual effort
a mindless task
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of mindless
before 1000; Middle English myndles, Old English gemyndlēas. See mind, -less
Explanation
Mindless things are done without any care or thought. If the kid sitting next to you in class won't stop the mindless tapping of his pencil against his desk, you'll have a hard time focusing on your vocabulary quiz. If something's careless or lacks reason, you can describe it as mindless, like the casual, mindless violence on a TV show. A mindless task is one that you can do without even thinking about it, like sweeping the sidewalk or stuffing fliers into envelopes. Mindless comes from the Old English myndleas, "foolish or senseless."
Vocabulary lists containing mindless
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We all know the feeling of doom-scrolling, the mindless numbing of the brain.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
This was the real-life version of a mindless doomscroll, when all of the world’s atrocities barely register.
From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026
In today’s addictive media environment, mindless scrolling can feel like “paying attention,” justifying it as an ethical good.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Oh my, Cori, this being a legacy triumph for coach Cori Close, a John Wooden disciple who led through thoughtful motivation instead of mindless screaming.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
Finally he got up and went into the main house to dust the furniture, something mild and mindless that would keep him occupied.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
