nincompoop

noun

ˈnin-kəm-ˌpüp How to pronounce nincompoop (audio)
Definition of nincompoopnext
1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment quit acting like a nincompoop, because I know you are smarter than that

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in moron
a stupid person who wants a nincompoop as a business partner?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nincompoop Everyone in the imperium knows the emperor is a nincompoop—and yet no one wants to go out on a limb to criticize him. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025 Paired alongside Williams and Dunst’s airheads, Ferrell plays a nincompoop Bob Woodward, but the role doesn’t give him much of a chance to cut loose. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025 Being a nature nincompoop may have saved him from a grisly fate. — Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2025 As Jimmy, the chief pushover, Jimmy, Norman makes for a sympathetic enough nincompoop. — Chris Willman, Variety, 16 June 2024 Only one police officer pops up there, a smiley nincompoop who sucks down children’s birthday cake from behind a desk and shrugs his way through conversation. — Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Somebody else could have gotten away with doing half as much, but Ruffalo proves a compound nincompoop. — Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nincompoop
  1. lunatic
  2. moron
  3. fool
  4. stupid
  5. goose
  6. maniac
Noun
  • The show will serve as a platform for countless lunatics within the InfoWars universe and a platform for larger announcements about the company’s fictional exploits.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Rabin was killed [in 1995], that was a last straw —seeing an extremist right-wing lunatic in Israel kill Rabin and kill the dreams of peace.
    — Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of lunatic
Noun
  • The fact that there is someone out there who could actually get all the real unsuspecting morons who participated in this movie to sign off on it afterwards is simply astonishing considering what they are asked to do in it.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The unlikely source is Enervate’s company stooge corporate strategist, Ken Davies (Tim Key), a moron by any measure.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of moron
Noun
  • From the opening, we are meant to wonder if Morris is a fool, besotted with this older, somewhat odd, controlling woman that no one in the family likes.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • So to expect something dramatically different to immediately be forthcoming less than 10 games in largely would stand as a fool’s errand.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of fool
Noun
  • My dad has always said the lottery is a tax on the stupid.
    — Alex Crippen, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Problem is, even people who know baseball don’t know baseball, which makes betting on baseball stupid.
    — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Definition of stupid
Noun
  • This league has been out to cook its golden goose from Day 1.
    — Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • What's candy for the goose may be a savory munchy for the gander.
    — Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of goose
Noun
  • Instead, this is a song about how being utterly enamored turns the person who’s crushing into a maniac.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
  • As well as offering plenty of new old Polo classics and rarities to add to their wardrobes, the festival featured a plethora of pursuits for the crowds of Polo-maniacs to relish.
    — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of maniac

Browse Nearby Words

nimrods
nincompoop
nincompoopery
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Cite this Entry

“Nincompoop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nincompoop. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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