1
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
a teacher who affirms that there are no brainless students, only lazy ones
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2
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a brainless decision to talk on her cell phone while weaving in and out of traffic
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Recent Examples of brainless
The O’Haras happen to move in next door to him.
Frothy and often filthy without being brainless (send thanks across the Atlantic for that good British dialogue), this is escapism done right.
—
Judy Berman, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
So, what can the neuronal activity of a tiny, brainless creature possibly tell us about the evolution of our own complex brains?
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 15 June 2024
But the most impressive is first-time writer-director Molly Manning Walker getting us not just to forgive her central triad their brash and brainless bravado but to grieve for it when it’s gone.
—Jessica Kiang, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024
An oyster, immobile and nearly brainless, is hardly even an animal, despite what the taxonomists tell us.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 9 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for brainless
Judy Berman, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
So, what can the neuronal activity of a tiny, brainless creature possibly tell us about the evolution of our own complex brains?
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 15 June 2024
But the most impressive is first-time writer-director Molly Manning Walker getting us not just to forgive her central triad their brash and brainless bravado but to grieve for it when it’s gone.
—Jessica Kiang, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024
An oyster, immobile and nearly brainless, is hardly even an animal, despite what the taxonomists tell us.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 9 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for brainless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainless
Adjective
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Okay, there's trying something new and then there's just being dumb.—
Samantha Highfill,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Why portray Dorothy as a doe-eyed ding-a-ling; as not just naive but dumb?—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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What happens, though, when those excesses transcend the merely stupid, the merely unjust, to become existential?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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People who approve of ICE’s actions aren’t necessarily stupid or evil.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Some folks who were moving a little slow, some folks wanted to dilute the Canadiana or the Big C Canadian of it.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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In practice, the process is slow, burdensome, and uncertain.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The idea of giving that over to a robot seems foolish [and] boring.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2026
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Black people cast and produced to look stupid and foolish as standard operating procedure.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In such a world, simple answers won’t do; only the courage to ask the hardest questions will push us forward.—
Daphne Koller,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
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Knox, who committed to wrestle at Rutgers University, and his dad were initially charged with simple assault for purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury after a brawl broke out at Collingswood High School on February.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Huw just waiting for him without involving the police or having really any plan whatsoever is just as silly.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Wain was joined by stars Ken Marino (who co-wrote the film), Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Sabrina Impacciatore, and Ben Wang to reminisce about making their unapologetically silly comedy.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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What remains, the thick, black, and dense oil, required special techniques to be brought to the surface.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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As a Boston native, Stone’s accent is thicker than chowdah, bless her, with a laugh that lilts like a fly ball onto Lansdowne Street.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And there’s Harrison Ford, which is insane.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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But that’s an indictment of our insane world, not Roher’s filmmaking.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brainless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainless. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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