as in mind
the normal or healthy condition of the mental abilities
scared out of her wits
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Recent Examples of wits
Scared out of their wits, Islanders fled.
—
Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Conversations between Linda and Bradley play like a high-stakes battle of wits, but their director is never so far away as to make the match feel lawless.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Named one of the 10 Best Books of 2025 by The New York Times, Angel Down follows Private Cyril Bagger, who has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of WWI through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Scavengers Reign follows a group of spaceship crew members stranded on an alien planet who must use their wits to survive.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
His wits and ingenuity versus the knights’ brutality and violence is a worthy match.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
What follows is an engrossing battle of wits that leads to some shocking revelations about the fractured reality of humanity.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2025
But then Rivers, operating on pure wits and gall all game, tried to go back to the well.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Sondheim got to work at eight o’clock one night, devising a version of the murder game in which all the players would have to use their wits to untangle the mystery.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Conversations between Linda and Bradley play like a high-stakes battle of wits, but their director is never so far away as to make the match feel lawless.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Named one of the 10 Best Books of 2025 by The New York Times, Angel Down follows Private Cyril Bagger, who has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of WWI through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Scavengers Reign follows a group of spaceship crew members stranded on an alien planet who must use their wits to survive.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
His wits and ingenuity versus the knights’ brutality and violence is a worthy match.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
What follows is an engrossing battle of wits that leads to some shocking revelations about the fractured reality of humanity.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2025
But then Rivers, operating on pure wits and gall all game, tried to go back to the well.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Sondheim got to work at eight o’clock one night, devising a version of the murder game in which all the players would have to use their wits to untangle the mystery.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wits
Noun
-
This helps to ensure that my mind is not only experiencing the music but also aiding and calming my thinking processes at the same time.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
But as the global spotlight turns back on the city, those recent events are brought to others’ minds, said Jacqueline deVries, chair of the history department at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Friends question her sanity and stability, and Helen loses herself further inside her mounting grief.—
Adam Graham,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
-
As with so much about college football, where self-interest reigns and sanity is scarce, the outcome isn’t ideal but could have been much, much worse.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wits. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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