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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brainless
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
And in the ultimate exemplification of how an endless stream of content begets pernicious bunkum, John McPhail’s Dear David is arguably the most brainless release of the year.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 5 Dec. 2023
Except these mussels are eyeless, brainless, little brown creatures that few people have ever heard of.
—Robert Kunzig, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for brainless
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
And in the ultimate exemplification of how an endless stream of content begets pernicious bunkum, John McPhail’s Dear David is arguably the most brainless release of the year.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 5 Dec. 2023
Except these mussels are eyeless, brainless, little brown creatures that few people have ever heard of.
—Robert Kunzig, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for brainless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainless
Adjective
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There was also, perhaps, general irritation at the idea that such a successful team should be the recipient of so much dumb luck.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
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Many students have acted boldly, and occasionally made dumb mistakes, because they were outraged by historical wrongs, incendiary speakers, cultural stereotypes, or other provocations.—
Christopher L. Eisgruber,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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When smart algorithms do stupid things But scratch beneath the surface, and the cracks start showing.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
8 Oct. 2025
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America has funded the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian pensions, and Ukrainian businesses during this entire stupid war that America should have nothing to do with.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Losing is so deeply ingrained in the fabric of this franchise that every slow start has the potential to snowball.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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His administration has seen some success; inflation in Argentina eased this year to the slowest monthly pace in more than four years.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Orús and Lizaso believe that the AI arms race is foolish.—
Vivienne Walt,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
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The Eagles were undone by foolish penalties, including two flags that negated first downs on a potential go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter and one flag that extended a Broncos drive late in the game when the Eagles had forced a fourth down.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Strufe adds that while intelligence agencies or cybercriminals have simpler ways to monitor people – such as accessing CCTV cameras or video doorbells – the widespread presence of wireless networks could eventually form a near-comprehensive surveillance infrastructure.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
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The simplest way to find influential people in a network is called degree centrality—just count the number of connections for each person.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But the tone swings between sour and sweet, grounded and silly, and the jokes run more broadly wacky than precise or original.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
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In my eyes, much of the charm of a craft brewer is a willingness to be a little silly.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That thick sole relieves pressure and pain, especially pain associated with conditions like plantar fasciitis.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Oct. 2025
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The smoke was thick enough to cast its own shadows upon the hill.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The real start of the Chalamet/Marty Supreme press tour came Tuesday night when the actor shared an incredible and absurd five-minute promo video.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
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But these far-right personalities were pushing an absurd logical fallacy.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brainless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainless. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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