as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
the show's amateur sleuth always has to explain to the dim-witted police chief who really committed the murder
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Recent Examples of dim-witted
Ashton Kutcher As The Corporation Kutcher is perhaps best known for his role as the attractive, dim-witted Michael Kelso on the hit sitcom That ‘70s Show, which ran for eight seasons.
—
Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Though Avantika was pretty iconic in her interpretation of the sweet yet dim-witted Karen role in the 2024 Mean Girls reboot, Seyfried’s performance was the blueprint.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
Hetero Awesome Fest: a gay ol’ time Ready for a dim-witted doubleheader?
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
Facing pressure to sire a child, Jerome tosses a crude wager the way of his dashing but dim-witted Lothario-like chum Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) – a bet that the handsome cad won’t be able to woo Cherry and bed her while he’s gone for 100 nights.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
In this new-original sequel, however, the Spinal Tap trio seem older and wiser, and that’s a shame, since their dim-witted antics (going in circles trying to find the stage or rationalizing an all-black album cover) became the stuff of legend.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Sep. 2025
Three years later, Hurst was cast on CBS’ The Dukes of Hazzard as Hazzard County bigwig Boss Hogg’s dim-witted second cousin, twice removed.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 26 June 2025
Rising from the coffin of a hilarious but obscure mockumentary feature about four sort-of loser vampire housemates in suburban New Zealand, the FX sitcom shifted the action to Staten Island and cast its undead ensemble as blithely murderous, petty, pansexual and often dim-witted.
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
During The Beverly Hillbillies’ nine-season run, Baer Jr. starred as dim-witted Clampett cousin Jethro Bodine as well as making several appearances in drag as his character’s twin sister, Jethrine.
—John Russell, People.com, 11 May 2025
Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Though Avantika was pretty iconic in her interpretation of the sweet yet dim-witted Karen role in the 2024 Mean Girls reboot, Seyfried’s performance was the blueprint.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
Hetero Awesome Fest: a gay ol’ time Ready for a dim-witted doubleheader?
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
Facing pressure to sire a child, Jerome tosses a crude wager the way of his dashing but dim-witted Lothario-like chum Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) – a bet that the handsome cad won’t be able to woo Cherry and bed her while he’s gone for 100 nights.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
In this new-original sequel, however, the Spinal Tap trio seem older and wiser, and that’s a shame, since their dim-witted antics (going in circles trying to find the stage or rationalizing an all-black album cover) became the stuff of legend.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Sep. 2025
Three years later, Hurst was cast on CBS’ The Dukes of Hazzard as Hazzard County bigwig Boss Hogg’s dim-witted second cousin, twice removed.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 26 June 2025
Rising from the coffin of a hilarious but obscure mockumentary feature about four sort-of loser vampire housemates in suburban New Zealand, the FX sitcom shifted the action to Staten Island and cast its undead ensemble as blithely murderous, petty, pansexual and often dim-witted.
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
During The Beverly Hillbillies’ nine-season run, Baer Jr. starred as dim-witted Clampett cousin Jethro Bodine as well as making several appearances in drag as his character’s twin sister, Jethrine.
—John Russell, People.com, 11 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dim-witted
Adjective
-
These apps often default to a faster, dumber model.—
Matt Shumer,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Who, other than dumb people like me, are gonna recruit high school kids?—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But maybe Johnson isn’t stupid.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Such as the one where the candidate remarked that some white rural Americans were stupid and racist.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That builds on similar trends throughout 2025, when the industry buoyed an otherwise slow labor market, as the nation’s hospitals, clinics and nursing homes kept hiring even as many employers pulled back.—
Abha Bhattarai,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
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Any type of realism was [limited to] very short clips, everything was very slow, bad textures, no skin textures, lacking detail.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Feltner’s routine was pretty simple.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
12 Feb. 2026
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Crime 101 takes the same view of quid pro quo as the most basic form of American commerce and makes simple but brutal points about value and self-worth, where your car, its year, make and model, matters more than your resumé.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Mathews vividly remembers riding in one of her father’s water trucks through thick smoke as black as the night to help family members and other ranchers save their homes.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Now, a team of researchers from the Polish Academy of Sciences has shown that even a bare carbon fiber, no thicker than a human hair, can bend and straighten on command, without any direct wiring.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dim-witted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dim-witted. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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