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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of witless
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
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) To borrow Jeff Bridges’s description of the magazine that Simon Pegg’s character once ran, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is witless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Apr. 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
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
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) To borrow Jeff Bridges’s description of the magazine that Simon Pegg’s character once ran, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is witless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Apr. 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
-
Jimmy Kimmel said something dumb.—
Jesse Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
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God, this is such a dumb story.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Jimmy Kimmel said something stupid and should apologize.—
Jesse Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
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Yeah, stupid s--- like this apparently is gonna keep happening for the next three years.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
By presenting domestic routines with the same creativity and attention to detail as a fashion spread, Smith has shifted the cultural conversation, making intentional, slow living as aspirational as her ensembles themselves.—
Cortne Bonilla,
Vogue,
21 Sep. 2025
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In each of our benchmarks, the Swift Go 16's Intel Core Ultra 9 285H—the fastest chipset in Intel’s Core Ultra 2 lineup—led this pack against the laptops with the slower Core Ultra 7.—
Mark Coppock,
PC Magazine,
21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The pattern of blaming star players, whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Marcus Rashford, is looking foolish, and the side has plummeted in form.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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That’s penny wise, not pour foolish.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Mahle views its range-extenders as far more than simple independent add-on, looking at them as one component in a holistic driving architecture in which smaller batteries can replace larger ones while still alleviating, rather than intensifying, range anxiety.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Sep. 2025
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For a similarly simple, comfortable option that’s a little more sophisticated, try a stylish ivory sweater (yes, white after Labor Day is definitely acceptable in France), particularly in a rollneck fashion that will suit silhouettes of all types.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Teenagers with faces painted green — some with blow up green sumo-wrestler suits — and mountains of silly string take over the streets.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
22 Sep. 2025
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What made the moment extra-special, though, was seeing Noah's silly side shine through.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The fact that multiple guests were ignorant of the CCP’s control over CGTN shows that booking agents working for the network may have failed to disclose such information.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
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The league might be skeptical that the Clippers were merely ignorant of the Aspiration-Leonard relationship and question why the team didn’t undertake more diligence.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Larsen makes Didi’s absurd actions feel credible, something a woman frustrated with her own life would do, in haste, on behalf of another.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
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Tim Dollar, a Kansas City attorney who represented the family of one of Biscari’s crash victims, said the union’s argument that Biscari was disciplined unfairly compared to other firefighters was absurd.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Witless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witless. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.
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