plural dumbphones
: a cell phone that does not include advanced software features (such as email or an Internet browser) typically found on smartphones
… we've leapt from 8-Bit to 16-Bit, from Genesis to PlayStation, from offline to online and from dumbphone to smartphone.—
Dean Takahashi
Dean Takahashi"It appears fashion, nostalgia, and them appearing in TikTok videos, have a part to play in the dumbphone revival," says Ernest Doku, mobiles expert at price comparison site Uswitch.com. "Many of us had a dumbphone as our first mobile phone, so it's natural that we feel a sense of nostalgia towards these classic handsets."—Tyler Durden
Tyler DurdenExamples of dumbphone in a Sentence
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This essay on the allure and challenges of switching to a dumbphone explores whether our smart devices have become essential appendages of our brains.
—Mario Aguilar, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
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Mario Aguilar, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dumbphone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dumbphone. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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