nitwit

American  

[nit-wit] / ˈnɪtˌwɪt /

noun

1. a slow-witted, stupid, or foolish person.

   Synonyms:

   booby, dunce, dolt, blockhead, fool

---

nitwit British  

/ ˈnɪtˌwɪt /

noun

1. informal a foolish person

---

Etymology

Origin of nitwit

First recorded in 1920–25; nit (from German; dialectal variant of nicht “not”) + wit ¹ (in the sense of “intelligence”)

Example Sentences

And I became a gunslinging nitwit in what was the last really crazy, silly stock market before the internet era.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

“Some nitwit wants to know what I think of Cameroon going into the Southeastern Conference.”

From Golf Digest • Apr. 28, 2020

I’ve never met Ryan-Mark, so this isn’t rooted in fact, but I suspect that – since he knowingly signed up for this, despite everything – he might be a nitwit.

From The Guardian • Oct. 2, 2019

If KD wants to get into a back-and-forth with each nitwit, he’s free to do so.

From Washington Times • Sep. 20, 2017

“Sure, but that’s not the point. We can’t let him continue this nitwit stuff about the Master.”

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov