as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
all but the most slow-witted readers will have solved the mystery long before they reach the book's final chapter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 slow-witted
Soupy is a bit slow-witted, really bony, and awkward-looking.
—
Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 12 Feb. 2025
Conservative media has since helped amplify the idea that Biden is a slow-witted geezer.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2024
Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 12 Feb. 2025
Conservative media has since helped amplify the idea that Biden is a slow-witted geezer.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slow-witted
Adjective
-
Paige is little more than a dumb blonde stereotype, another underwritten female character in Sheridan’s growing oeuvre, but Chapman laces her babyish whining with surprising bite, while showing a knack for physical comedy.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Mar. 2026
-
How did an Ivy League grad from Penn get so dumb?—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Of all the live-action shows made by Adult Swim, Three Busy Debras is the most cartoonish; its world is as elastic and stupid as any Chuck Jones Looney Tunes joint.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Anyone who says anything else is stupid or lying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Experiencing that life cycle of knowing where my food comes from and watching my uncles do the butchering and then eating it the same day through slow roasting was really impactful for me as a kid.—
Claire Salinda,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Perhaps both movements could have animated each other; perhaps the subsequent fight for women’s suffrage would have been less sporadic and slow.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The rooms Hotel Thaynes has 128 guest rooms, including six king suites, each designed for simple mountain stays with subtle pops of colors.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Such a vote — which is bound to fail but would put senators on the record — differs from using a simple majority to change the Senate rules, a vote a senator could force after an unsuccessful vote to break a filibuster.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Often called the Butterfly Nebula or the Bug Nebula, this object displays a striking structure involving two bright gas lobes extending in opposite directions, separated by a thick, dusty ring—known as a torus—around the central star.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Remove thick, dense piles of wet and matted leaves, or consider gently fluffing them up with a rake.—
Heather Zidack,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But instead of creating a white material as intended, Jie produced dense, transparent films.—
J. Carson Meredith,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The stars stretch between Fourth and Sixth streets, appearing amid the dense foot traffic typical of SXSW.—
Staff Photographer,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slow-witted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slow-witted. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
