1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
some half-wit had left the gate open, and all the sheep had gotten loose
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiot
a stupid person
even a half-wit knows that ice cream melts if it's not in the freezer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of half-wit
If one president can pardon his half-brother, then another president can pardon his half-wit son.
—
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 8 June 2024
Aerial mishaps and half-wit actors turn a fantasy classic into a farce.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2023
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 8 June 2024
Aerial mishaps and half-wit actors turn a fantasy classic into a farce.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-wit
Noun
-
So that episode will make fun [of] billionaire life-extension body-hacking lunatics.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
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Whether those people are sickened by grief and rage into a kind of temporary insanity, genuine lunatics, hustlers looking to milk a little more engagement or some combination of the three doesn’t really matter.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The documentary shows a video that was uploaded to TikTok of Valencia fans chanting at Vinicius Jr, with the transcription as ‘mono’ (monkey) rather than ‘tonto’ (fool).—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Don’t let its compact size fool you, though.—
Jordyn Burrell,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Only a moron would cut the funding of an industry that actually brings revenue into the government’s pocket.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
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Seth Rollins gassed Bron up by saying Jey Uso thinks his dad is a loser and his uncle is a moron.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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So, the parallel thing that I’ve been frustrated by recently is not just calling Trump stupid, but calling Trump voters stupid.—
Drew Broussard
May 22,
Literary Hub,
22 May 2025
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Sometimes too stupid is actually smartski but sometimes is just stupid stupid.—
Caroline Downey,
National Review,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Of course, designer decanters, like one by DIOR shaped like a goose, sells for $550.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Marie realizes Danny was the roadblock, so why give up the goose?—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Benicio del Toro as Sergio Courtesy of Warner Bros. Penn plays Lockjaw as a tense, lumbering maniac with more than a few similarities to RFK Jr.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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The Haunted Trail takes visitors outdoors through a path with dense fog and several haunting installations with zombies, a ghoul bus, a graveyard filled with ghosts, chainsaw maniacs and more.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Half-wit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-wit. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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