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Synonyms

dunce

American  
[duhns] / dʌns /

noun

  1. a dull-witted, stupid, or ignorant person; dolt.

    Synonyms:
    ninny, nincompoop, simpleton, ignoramus, blockhead, numbskull, dullard
dunce British  
/ dʌns /

noun

  1. a person who is stupid or slow to learn

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • duncelike adjective
  • duncical adjective
  • duncish adjective
  • duncishly adverb

Etymology

Origin of dunce

1520–30; after John Duns Scotus, whose writings were attacked by the humanists as foolish

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.