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?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
  • While sane Americans were celebrating the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, the lunatics in Portland, Oregon were cheering along as two men made out on a baseball field during a 'Heated Rivalry' theme night.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026
  • As a Spurs fan, I was particularly invested in Campbell in an England shirt and recall charging around the living room like a lunatic before the reality that it had been chalked off hit home.
    — The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 18 June 2026
Definition of lunatic
Noun
  • God help us all if some idiot, some moron, ever put you in charge.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2026
  • Mantzoukas was willing to look like a maniac and a moron in equal measure.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 June 2026
Definition of moron
Noun
  • Projecting how a college quarterback will pan out often proves a fool’s errand, despite how many people have dedicated their livelihoods to trying.
    — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Don’t let the thin sole fool you though, the structure is still quite supportive and keeps your feet cushioned.
    — Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 11 July 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
  • They were provided by a speedy and adventurous black squirrel, who spent the better part of an inning on and around the playing field and at one point led an army of ground crew members on a wild goose — uh, squirrel — chase in right field.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026
  • The shows featured a continuous storyline surrounding her string of black pearls being lost and found, sending her on a goose chase that began with The Nanny and continued into Can’t Hurry Love, Murphy Brown and High Society.
    — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Definition of goose
Noun
  • The odd thing about this choice is that, although the DSA’s platform is indeed chock-full of maniacal proposals, on this particular idea, the maniacs have a point.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
  • The Destroyer accelerates with the single-minded wilfulness of a homicidal maniac.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 July 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 2 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of nincompoop for Spanish Speakers

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