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
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
But fans clearly missed seeing the endearing — if dim-witted — Joey alongside his pals Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Ross (David Schwimmer), because viewership steadily declined as the series progressed.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2025
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
But fans clearly missed seeing the endearing — if dim-witted — Joey alongside his pals Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Ross (David Schwimmer), because viewership steadily declined as the series progressed.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dim-witted
Adjective
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But also these dumb things, from another perspective, can have a certain type of digital trashy poetry.—
Andy Crump,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
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The bounty hunter kills some random dudes who are dumb enough to cross him and steals a Falka doll from some little girls who have adopted the Rats as folk heroes.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And that’s a stupid, dumb, mindless question.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
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Dessert Week is the stupidest week, at least conceptually.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Tiles also exhibited hysteresis, which was smaller at slower speeds due to the rubber’s viscoelastic properties, as reported by Nanowerk.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
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Levi, an electrical engineer who founded MicroKits in 2020, has had to raise prices, slow production and pause plans to launch a new product – Banan-a-Synth – that lets kids turn a bunch of bananas into a kind of keyboard.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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While House Republicans can pass legislation with a simple majority vote, Senate Republicans cannot advance most matters without meeting a 60-vote threshold.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
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But in stoppage time, Miami was gifted a third goal when Jordi Alba crossed from the left and keeper Willis, colliding with defender Walker Zimmerman, spilled the ball right to Messi, who had the simplest of tap-ins.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At great risk, Hamida disguises herself as a khes (a thick cotton cloth) seller and enters the house to plan with Lajo an escape route.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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The Oklahoma native's signature is his thick accent and his straight talk.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dim-witted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dim-witted. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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