dimwit

[ dim-wit ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a stupid or slow-thinking person.

   Synonyms: dumbbell, booby, numbskull, nitwit, dummy

dimwit

/ ˈdɪmˌwɪt /

noun

1. informal.
   a stupid or silly person

Derived Forms

• ˌdim-ˈwitted, adjective
• ˌdim-ˈwittedness, noun
• ˌdim-ˈwittedly, adverb

Other Words From

• dimwitted adjective
• dimwitted·ly adverb
• dimwitted·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dimwit¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; dim + wit ¹

Example Sentences

After spending some time in the past couple of years as a leadership ally who’d urge her allies on the far right to think practically, she’s apparently returned to being a full-bore dimwit.

From Slate

And, of course, in the part for which he is arguably best known, he played a father — not the comic dimwit whose children are all smarter than he, but a caring, responsible and strict figure where it mattered.

From Los Angeles Times

That might be a stretch, but DiCaprio is terrific as the gullible dimwit who falls under his uncle’s spell and helps plot the murders of his Osage wife’s family.

From Los Angeles Times

DiCaprio is excellent in “Killers of the Flower Moon” playing a dimwit who goes along with his uncle’s scheme of killing his Osage wife’s entire bloodline.

From Los Angeles Times

The U.S. attorney who runs Carleton’s office also turns out to be a politically connected, self-important dimwit who is carrying on an affair with a younger female prosecutor in the office—all of which is in fact eminently plausible except for the part where they do basically nothing to conceal it, which allows a member of Carleton’s team to blackmail him when they need him to stop meddling in their work.

From Slate

Related Words

• clodpoll