Definition of witlessnext
1
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily a dog so witless that it is barely trainable

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

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 witless Gavras and Arbery may have other, more singular aims in mind, hidden beneath all the obvious skewering of witless wealth. Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 Austin doesn't even seem to register his witless neighbor's lack of social skills until Craig punches his lights out—supposedly in fun—during a guys' night get-together. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 9 May 2025 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 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
  • What used to be a forum for original, quirky, clever remarks by the Daily News’ varied community of smartypants has turned into a gridlock of repetitious venting of old, dumb blah.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026
  • How to make an iPhone a 'dumb phone' To simplify an iPhone, users should engage Assistive Access, an iOS feature intended for users with cognitive disabilities.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Adjective
  • There are plenty of videos from Yellowstone National Park involving tourists doing breathtakingly stupid things around wild animals.
    Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026
  • Even when Romanzy goes off on how stupid and ugly Caleb is — and gossips that his parents abandoned him because something must be wrong with him — Mary goes along with it.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
Adjective
  • After the shooting, the victim’s car was seen on surveillance footage driving in slow circles as federal agents appeared to try and stop the vehicle.
    Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • Thus far, capital markets more broadly have been slow to respond to this threat for a variety of reasons.
    Justin Worland, Time, 18 July 2026
Adjective
  • Johnson continued this week to push for his foolish and counterproductive desire to impose a $33-per-month tax on each Chicago job generated by the city’s largest private-sector employers.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • As is, this is a foolish thriller that prompts the occasional snicker but not much more.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Adjective
  • With the bulge-bracket firms the clear winners, choosing a VC has become simpler.
    Robert Frank, CNBC, 14 July 2026
  • The original historic rooms feature heavy drapery, regal-looking bed frames, and simple baths.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 July 2026
Adjective
  • She’s seen during a dance rehearsal, a silly social media clip, and onstage from their Lollapalooza set, the latter of which came before her announcement in February to step away from Katseye.
    Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
  • Starring British comedy favourites such as Kevin Eldon and Miranda Hart, Hyperdrive is a very silly show that ended up more like a workplace sitcom in space rather than the next Red Dwarf.
    William Worrall, Space.com, 15 July 2026
Adjective
  • Any advice on how to tune out ignorant neighbors who refuse to shut up?
    R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 15 July 2026
  • There’s a difference between being educated and being ignorant.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Adjective
  • In each social-commentary-teetering-on-horror episode, Nanno is a pupil at a different school, picture perfect and scanning the room for whatever secrets — an abusive teacher, an absurd hierarchical system, petty jealousy — demand to be revealed.
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • Cattelan spoke to the Financial Times about the strange afterlife of the work, which has become both a symbol of the art market’s excesses and a reminder of his talent for turning absurd ideas into global spectacles.
    George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Witless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witless. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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