numbskull
noun
numb·skull
ˈnəm-ˌskəl 
variants
or less commonly numskull
1
: a dull or stupid person : dunce
2
: a thick or muddled head
Examples of numbskull in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Movies like Eddington and The Mastermind also render their white male protagonists as ill-prepared and ineffectual numbskulls incapable of confronting their era’s racial and social politics.
—
Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
That’s all fine and dandy, but watching these two numbskulls, like Pinky and the Brain with lobotomies, try to take down Tamra is not fun.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Churchill’s numbskull move immediately made all the exports of his highly export-dependent nation more expensive to buyers in other countries.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2025
And the Fed Board has done nothing to stop this 'numbskull' from hurting so many people.
—Anna Commander
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
The worker who gets on the AI train learns to ask the right questions, and the numbskull of a skilled worker does not.
—Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
That’s all fine and dandy, but watching these two numbskulls, like Pinky and the Brain with lobotomies, try to take down Tamra is not fun.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Churchill’s numbskull move immediately made all the exports of his highly export-dependent nation more expensive to buyers in other countries.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2025
And the Fed Board has done nothing to stop this 'numbskull' from hurting so many people.
—Anna Commander
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
The worker who gets on the AI train learns to ask the right questions, and the numbskull of a skilled worker does not.
—Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Numbskull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/numbskull. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share