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
  • But Thomas and Erika are no fools, coolly telling off smiling Hitler sympathizers during a tony reception.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Atlanta Dream might now be the hottest ticket in town and State Farm Arena would be fools not to host them in Game 6.
    — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 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
  • In short, the encyclopedia is being destroyed by its biggest beneficiaries, like a golden goose slaughtered for slop-pâté.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Ternus’ interaction with IShowSpeed is clearly designed to capture this (and, of course, to goose preorder numbers among the influencer’s young and massive audience).
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of goose
Noun
  • David extended a hand toward me (imaginary attacks by slow, handshake-wielding maniacs are a martial arts class staple).
    — Johanna Stein, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Unbeknownst to the visitors, there’s an unhappy fifth party already in the house… and more than one homicidal maniac even within that small populace.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 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 26 Oct. 2026.

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