1
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
a dog so witless that it is barely trainable
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a witless decision to relocate to the other side of the country without even the prospect of a job
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of witless
Witherspoon’s timing is whip-crack good, and Ferrell’s is, too, on a different wavelength, even when the material’s settling for surprisingly witless profanity punchlines that don’t quiiiiite qualify as actual jokes.
—
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
The federal government, in all its wisdom, is once again gearing up to save the witless American people from themselves.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 Jan. 2025
By most accounts, Trump’s ground game—powered by the witless Musk—was a bit of a mess, but Harris’s professional field operation seems to have been helpless to stem the tide of Trump’s support.
—The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
But this latest effort, premiering on Prime Video, proves a relentlessly vulgar and witless affair that not even the talents of stars Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon and a comedically gifted supporting cast can rescue.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for witless
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
The federal government, in all its wisdom, is once again gearing up to save the witless American people from themselves.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 Jan. 2025
By most accounts, Trump’s ground game—powered by the witless Musk—was a bit of a mess, but Harris’s professional field operation seems to have been helpless to stem the tide of Trump’s support.
—The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
But this latest effort, premiering on Prime Video, proves a relentlessly vulgar and witless affair that not even the talents of stars Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon and a comedically gifted supporting cast can rescue.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for witless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witless
Adjective
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For the young generation of digital natives navigating AI anxiety around keeping up with peers using the technology and AI displacing them from jobs, the fear of the technology making people dumber is dominant.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
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This lens helps explain everything from investing mistakes and overspending to why some people quietly build wealth while others blow money in ways that, from the outside, look spectacularly dumb.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Being able to be in a room full of comedians being stupid and funny like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
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Republican primary voters who do stupid things and vote for candidates with no chance of winning suffer the consequences.—
Kevin Igoe,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The studio believes that February, once seen as a slow month for moviegoing, has become a much more lucrative corridor to release films.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2026
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What was once a slow squeeze has become an acute system failure for patients statewide.—
Andrew Hevesi,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Counting on one of the league’s most expensive talents to play meaningful minutes from here on out at his age with a track record like that is nearly as foolish as Nico trading a perennial MVP candidate at 26.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 4,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Feb. 2026
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The lesson isn’t that NBA teams are reckless or foolish.—
Spencer Harrison,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The 18-year-old was also charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor and summary charges of harassment and disorderly conduct.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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With similar pressures and temperatures to those found at Earth’s surface, Venus, up above its cloud-tops, might already be home to simple but hardy microbial life forms.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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On one memorable occasion when a Nazi came to town and threatened to burn a Q’uran and then march through the Somali neighborhood, water balloons and silly string.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
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The whole idea seems silly, but its impact could potentially increase the cost of aviation and affect flight safety and operations.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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We’d be laughed at and called ignorant boors!—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
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Dunk isn’t ignorant of what doing the right thing could cost him.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Sentimental music, runaway kegs and brutally honest humor collide, making Bud Light’s Super Bowl moment feel effortless, absurd and perfectly timed.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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Mike begins to struggle with the idea of doing something that might finally give his life (and his death) meaning, and although the film goes in absurd directions, Gavras sells it by pitching everything at the level of epic satire, his grandiose images working in tandem with moments of broad humor.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Witless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witless. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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