clueless

adjective

clue·​less ˈklü-ləs 

1

: having or providing no clue

a clueless case for the police to solve

2

: completely or hopelessly bewildered, unaware, ignorant, or foolish

clueless about what they want

cluelessly adverb

I played dumb. I have arrived at a point in my life where I can perform this stunt with aplomb. "What do you mean?" I asked, as cluelessly as I knew how.

—Steve Friedman

cluelessness noun

Mowrey is also trying to make a deer hunter of Bentley, whose cluelessness as an outdoors-man is a rich source of amusement to his country-boy crony.

—Austin Murphy

Synonyms of clueless

• ignorant
• unaware
• oblivious

Examples of clueless in a Sentence

When it comes to computers, I'm clueless.

They were clueless about what to do.

Recent Examples on the Web

A couple of these sequences are amusing, especially when two clueless and drunk teens drop by, and also when one of the victims mistakenly locks herself in the wrong car to get away only to discover Ben has the keys. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026

Where is that strange, clueless child who wanders from cause to cause, Greta Thunberg? —Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026

Meanwhile, a third person commenting on King’s post made a pointed reference to another King controversy, when she was similarly accused of being clueless about her privilege. —Martha Ross, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026

Mickey is clueless, compliant, and a bit dense. —Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 30 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for clueless

• shoeless
• viewless

Kids Definition

clueless

adjective

clue·​less ˈklü-ləs 

: having or providing no clue