numbskull

noun

numb·​skull ˈnəm-ˌskəl How to pronounce numbskull (audio)
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 Fey didn’t write this uneven comedy, but it’s got some of the same sophisticated satire of big-city elites that 30 Rock exudes, and Martin has a ball playing a pompous numbskull who doesn’t know that ponytails have been over for more than a decade. Will Leitch, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2024 Contra-stereotype, Finkel estimates that only ten per cent of meatheads are numbskulls. Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2023 Sure, any numbskull can pour a bag of iron filings into a jug of Tide (trust me, my wife is still screaming). David H Freedman, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2012 Four women enjoying a retreat at a secluded lakeside cabin are attacked by three numbskulls and turn the tables on them, becoming the torturers. Chris Ball, cleveland.com, 1 Apr. 2018 Thank you to US press and other numbskulls who put him there. Colin Stutz, Billboard, 1 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'numbskull.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of numbskull was in 1697

Dictionary Entries Near numbskull

Cite this Entry

“Numbskull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/numbskull. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

numbskull

variant of numskull

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!