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
Rather than a cruel Hedda, a fragile Hedda, a tragically deluded Hedda, Adele saw a woman who was comically at her wits’ end.
—
Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Without getting into spoilers, her one-and-done appearance in Episode 5 presents the perfect opportunity for the more-than-capable Meester to match wits with Bell’s judgmental Joanna, only to strand the actor with boring, obvious jokes and saddle her with a feeble resolution.
—Hugh Hart, IndieWire, 23 May 2026
Collet-Serra directed and executive produced the film that focused on Egerton as an inexperienced TSA agent who ends up in a battle of wits with a mysterious traveler (Bateman) after the stranger blackmails him into allowing a dangerous package onto a flight on Christmas Eve.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
With lots of free time, a longing for connection and no new Survivor seasons in sight, fans jumped at the chance to connect with other viewers and test their wits.
—Charlotte Walsh, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026
Millions tuned in to watch the battle of wits.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Cut off from the world by catastrophic flooding, with nothing but his phone and his wits, Barry is forced into a terrifying psychological battle with the unseen bombmaker who has targeted him for an unknown reason, while an FBI agent races to uncover the truth.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Sylvie must confront her deepest secrets, use all her wits to survive and uncover why, of all people, she’s been entangled in this elaborate terror plot.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Along the way, the two of them verbally spar and match wits on a variety of topics.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Without getting into spoilers, her one-and-done appearance in Episode 5 presents the perfect opportunity for the more-than-capable Meester to match wits with Bell’s judgmental Joanna, only to strand the actor with boring, obvious jokes and saddle her with a feeble resolution.
—Hugh Hart, IndieWire, 23 May 2026
Collet-Serra directed and executive produced the film that focused on Egerton as an inexperienced TSA agent who ends up in a battle of wits with a mysterious traveler (Bateman) after the stranger blackmails him into allowing a dangerous package onto a flight on Christmas Eve.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
With lots of free time, a longing for connection and no new Survivor seasons in sight, fans jumped at the chance to connect with other viewers and test their wits.
—Charlotte Walsh, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026
Millions tuned in to watch the battle of wits.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Cut off from the world by catastrophic flooding, with nothing but his phone and his wits, Barry is forced into a terrifying psychological battle with the unseen bombmaker who has targeted him for an unknown reason, while an FBI agent races to uncover the truth.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Sylvie must confront her deepest secrets, use all her wits to survive and uncover why, of all people, she’s been entangled in this elaborate terror plot.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Along the way, the two of them verbally spar and match wits on a variety of topics.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wits
Noun
-
However, bright, clever ideas also might spring up in your mind.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
-
With this in mind, researchers ran some simulations to explore how all that jostling for position might have affected the moons of Jupiter and Uranus in particular — and the results suggest that these two planets' moons only survived that tumultuous time because of a giant planet that didn't.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Thank you for your daily dose of sanity each morning.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
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Ironically, the Democrats’ loudest voice for fiscal sanity lately has been democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who recently proudly proclaimed making progress at balancing New York City’s budget.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wits. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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