as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
you're not unintelligent, so you must just be stubbornly resisting all attempts to teach you something
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of unintelligent
Growing shares in each party describe those in the other party as more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans.
—
NBC News, 22 Dec. 2024
In short: Wells assumed Neanderthals were unintelligent brutes.
—Byrd Pinkerton, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
But the gullible, easily-led and unintelligent — and the media — all fall for the lie.
—Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Nov. 2024
Both of these insults are based on racist stereotypes (the lazy trope and the unintelligent trope) that have been weaponized against Black people throughout history.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unintelligent
NBC News, 22 Dec. 2024
In short: Wells assumed Neanderthals were unintelligent brutes.
—Byrd Pinkerton, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
But the gullible, easily-led and unintelligent — and the media — all fall for the lie.
—Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Nov. 2024
Both of these insults are based on racist stereotypes (the lazy trope and the unintelligent trope) that have been weaponized against Black people throughout history.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unintelligent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintelligent
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
-
Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
-
Instead, the series seems determined to prove that age is just a number by forcing its leads, now including Choudhury and Parker, to act as if 50 is the new (and very stupid) 30.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
-
Jurassic Park, based on the Michael Crichton best-seller, is an evolutionary joke: Man, the master of the universe, has become mere flesh, consumed by animals allegedly too stupid to survive.—
David Denby,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Forecasters at the National Weather Service said there was the potential for additional catastrophic flooding and heavy rainfall in the region throughout Saturday, given the storm’s slow craw across the state.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
-
Even though we've all been told gray is on its way out for quite some time, it's been a slow burn.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
Chris wore a simple navy blue polo shirt and khaki shorts combo, while Alexa showed off her growing bump in a white and blue floral dress — along with an Olympic logo necklace to complete her maternity style.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
11 July 2025
-
While in many ways, this flat 33km time-trial is simple, particularly in its middle section, there is still plenty to watch out for.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Consequently, many of those enslaved in Texas remained ignorant of the proclamation’s potential impact on their lives, or of the fact the Civil War had functionally ended two months earlier.—
Timothy Welbeck,
The Conversation,
16 June 2025
-
Careless or ignorant reporting has obscured objective reality.—
Nicholas DiMarzio,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
Politicians in the state said this was because of a loophole in the original bill that allowed the sale of thicker, reusable plastic bags at the checkout stand.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
-
Still the aftertaste of raspberry filling clings to her soft palate, as thick and heady and floral as menstrual blood.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unintelligent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintelligent. Accessed 17 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share