thick-witted

[ thik-wit-id ]

adjective

1. lacking intelligence; thickheaded; dull; stupid.

thick-witted

adjective

1. stupid, dull, foolish, or slow to learn

Derived Forms

• ˌthick-ˈwittedly, adverb
• ˌthick-ˈwittedness, noun

Other Words From

• thick-witted·ly adverb
• thick-witted·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of thick-witted¹

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

‘You thick-witted, little wharf-rat. Go whistle for it. I’ve two respectable witnesses who will go into court and swear that whatever I say is true. Do you think any court in Boston, even Dana’s, would listen to you and your wretched girls if I and my clerks said contrary-wise? You daring to suggest you are my kin!’

From Literature

Dove was so thick-witted he had no idea anything unusual was afoot.

From Literature

The very terms "split infinitive" and "split verb" are based on a thick-witted analogy to Latin, in which it is impossible to split a verb because it consists of a single word, such as amare, "to love".

From The Guardian

He thought of Sigrin the Shipwright, a thick-bodied, thick-witted man, flaxen hair already receding from a pimpled brow, and shook his head.

From Literature

That the document might lead into error the thick-witted Swedish bourgeois is not at all amazing.

From Project Gutenberg