unintelligent

[ uhn-in-tel-i-juhnt ]

adjective

1. deficient in intelligence; dull; stupid:

   Even the most unintelligent intern knew how to operate this copy machine.

2. characterized by or proceeding from a lack of intelligence:

   No one will respect you as long as you go around making unintelligent remarks like that.

3. not endowed with the ability to think or reason:

   We should protect unintelligent life like trees and protozoa as well as intelligent life like humans and dolphins.

unintelligent

/ ˌʌnɪnˈtɛlɪdʒənt /

adjective

1. lacking intelligence; stupid; foolish
2. not endowed with a mind or intelligence

Confusables Note

See stupid ( def ).

Derived Forms

• ˌuninˈtelligence, noun
• ˌuninˈtelligently, adverb

Other Words From

• un·in·tel·li·gence noun
• un·in·tel·li·gent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unintelligent¹

First recorded in 1600–10; un- ¹ + intelligent

Example Sentences

The underlying assumption is that Black people as a group are stupid, dumb, unintelligent, inherently childlike and primitive, possess “bad culture” and in other ways are inferior to white people.

From Salon

The boys say the idea of going into a trade was not promoted at school as a desirable thing to do and was considered only for those seen as unintelligent.

From BBC

Trump limited his praise to Harris' physical appearance before launching into his usual attack on women of color, asserting that the former California senator and attorney is unintelligent.

From Salon

Biden's implication that Neanderthals, an archaic and now extinct human species, were unintelligent is factually dubious.

From Salon

Granted, he said his team did some “dumb” stuff and he criticized them for, “egregiously unintelligent fouls,” but his usual anger was mostly muted.

From Los Angeles Times