1
as in stupid
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
a dog so witless that it is barely trainable
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2
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a witless decision to relocate to the other side of the country without even the prospect of a job
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Recent Examples of witless
By most accounts, Trump’s ground game—powered by the witless Musk—was a bit of a mess, but Harris’s professional field operation seems to have been helpless to stem the tide of Trump’s support.
—
The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
But apparently, California just couldn’t abide this challenge to its primacy as the most witless state in the union.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Sep. 2024
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) To borrow Jeff Bridges’s description of the magazine that Simon Pegg’s character once ran, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is witless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024
Police believed the perpetrators were the yakuza, who were irked by Itami’s portrayal of them as witless bullies outsmarted by a cunning attorney (played by Itami’s actress wife Nobuko Miyamoto, who starred in all of his films) in Minbo.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for witless
The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
But apparently, California just couldn’t abide this challenge to its primacy as the most witless state in the union.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Sep. 2024
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) To borrow Jeff Bridges’s description of the magazine that Simon Pegg’s character once ran, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is witless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024
Police believed the perpetrators were the yakuza, who were irked by Itami’s portrayal of them as witless bullies outsmarted by a cunning attorney (played by Itami’s actress wife Nobuko Miyamoto, who starred in all of his films) in Minbo.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for witless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witless
Adjective
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Making stupid internet fodder has never been easier than now, with the prevalence of AI image generators making everything from deepfakes to memes.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2025
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Much like the stupid prions wreaking havoc in his brain.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The idea of the Nuggets claiming three more games in this series with Michael Porter Jr. scoring three points — on Denver’s first basket, no less — is foolish.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2025
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The first three days of the season took care of such foolish rookie thoughts and proved to be a humbling, but learning, experience.—
Thomas Weddle,
Outdoor Life,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
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Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
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But silly things like feelings and mental health don't matter to rebellion leader Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård), who wants results at any cost.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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This is one where the visual spectacle and weird fourth-wall-breaking sections stand head and shoulders above everything else, making for an extremely memorable adventure that embraces the silly side of Doctor Who.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The company reaffirmed plans to launch an affordable model in early 2025, but warned the production ramp could be slower than expected.—
Akash Sriram and Abhirup Roy,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
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The last two years have been incredibly slow, with existing home sales at their lowest levels since the mid-1990s.—
Laurel Wamsley,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Quarterly reports delayed by years would be absurd.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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While that isn't anywhere close to of being traded 10 times, being traded in four straight seasons is quite absurd.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Murder victim's family has been 'counting down the minutes' until South Carolina execution Texas pastor with simple dream killed in his own church.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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Even something as simple as hanging your own art on the walls or sharing a project online will work.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Gotta start earlier, and maybe involve OG mad Bridges more.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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Told the victim was mad because the suspect stepped on his shoes, Torre said the right thing to do would have been to wipe his shoes clean and walk away.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Witless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witless. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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