: a stupid person
Synonyms
- airhead
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- bonehead
- bubblehead
- chowderhead
- chucklehead
- clodpoll
- clodpole
- clot [British]
- cluck
- clunk
- cretin
- cuddy [British dialect]
- cuddie
- deadhead
- dim bulb [slang]
- dimwit
- dip
- dodo
- donkey
- doofus [slang]
- dope
- dork [slang]
- dullard
- dum-dum
- dumbbell
- dumbhead
- dummkopf
- dummy
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- gander
- golem
- goof
- goon
- half-wit
- hammerhead
- hardhead
- idiot
- ignoramus
- imbecile
- jackass
- know-nothing
- knucklehead
- lamebrain
- loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
- loon
- lump
- lunkhead
- meathead
- mome [archaic]
- moron
- mug [chiefly British]
- mutt
- natural
- nimrod [slang]
- nincompoop
- ninny
- ninnyhammer
- nit [chiefly British]
- nitwit
- noddy
- noodle
- numskull
- numbskull
- oaf
- pinhead
- prat [British]
- ratbag [chiefly Australian]
- saphead
- schlub [slang]
- shlub
- schnook [slang]
- simpleton
- stock
- stupe
- stupid
- thickhead
- turkey
- woodenhead
- yahoo
- yo-yo
Examples of dolt in a Sentence
What a dolt I've been!
he's always jokingly calling his best friend a dolt
Recent Examples on the Web
In effect, those dolts have allied themselves with Hamas, a terrorist military cabal hell-bent on a latter-day holocaust.
—
Noah Rothman, National Review, 26 Oct. 2023
Now with Eli getting older, Judy is stuck competing for dominance with her brothers: firstborn Jesse, played by Danny McBride in the traditional McBride mold of pompous, all-American dolts; and youngest brother Kelvin (Adam Devine), a youth minister who dresses like a wannabe Bieber.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Our intolerable situation forces us to welcome such witless dolts to our side.
—Ana Marie Cox, The New Republic, 3 Apr. 2023
Also, thanks to movies like This Is Spinal Tap and Wayne’s World (which are both hilarious), the genre has gotten the reputation of being made for knuckleheaded dolts, which is unfair since smart, talented people from all walks of life identify with the genre.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2023
Why is Shanahan such a dolt?
—Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Sep. 2021
The ongoing melodrama has revealed Greg Norman to be a dolt and Phil Mickelson a bumbler.
—Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 9 June 2022
His horrifying misrule convinced even die-hard autocrats that the country could not survive with an incompetent dolt at the apex of power.
—Ryan Cooper, The Week, 11 Aug. 2021
The thing is, a person using their horn in this aggressive manner is seemingly saying that the other driver is a complete dolt.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Sep. 2021
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Noah Rothman, National Review, 26 Oct. 2023
Now with Eli getting older, Judy is stuck competing for dominance with her brothers: firstborn Jesse, played by Danny McBride in the traditional McBride mold of pompous, all-American dolts; and youngest brother Kelvin (Adam Devine), a youth minister who dresses like a wannabe Bieber.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Our intolerable situation forces us to welcome such witless dolts to our side.
—Ana Marie Cox, The New Republic, 3 Apr. 2023
Also, thanks to movies like This Is Spinal Tap and Wayne’s World (which are both hilarious), the genre has gotten the reputation of being made for knuckleheaded dolts, which is unfair since smart, talented people from all walks of life identify with the genre.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2023
Why is Shanahan such a dolt?
—Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Sep. 2021
The ongoing melodrama has revealed Greg Norman to be a dolt and Phil Mickelson a bumbler.
—Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 9 June 2022
His horrifying misrule convinced even die-hard autocrats that the country could not survive with an incompetent dolt at the apex of power.
—Ryan Cooper, The Week, 11 Aug. 2021
The thing is, a person using their horn in this aggressive manner is seemingly saying that the other driver is a complete dolt.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Sep. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dolt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
probably akin to Old English dol foolish
First Known Use
1553, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near dolt
Cite this Entry
“Dolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dolt. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
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