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

As if each of us isn’t a walking embodiment of our moment, clueless and attuned at once, screaming about one thing and in total denial about another. —Literary Hub, 10 June 2026

In a video posted jointly to their Instagram accounts, DeGeneres can be seen hiding behind a wall as the famous momager walked in her direction, clueless to the danger lurking. —Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026

Being clueless did help in some ways. —Kimberly McCreight, Time, 3 June 2026

The couple’s three daughters (Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Birdie Borria and Charlotte Ann Tucker) are then left with their clueless father. —Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026

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