1
as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment
his astounding feats of witlessness are the stuff of family legend
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thickness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind
for sheer witlessness the movie's dialogue deserves some sort of award
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of witlessness
No, but the line captures the aristocracy’s witlessness.
—
Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witlessness
Noun
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The assassination attempt failed — and Hinckley was arrested, tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
His acquittal, which led to a public outcry, had an impact on the federal insanity defense — leading to a shift in the burden of proof.—
Katrina Kaufman,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Working in batches, add 2 meatballs to skillet; flatten each to 1/4-inch thickness using a wide sturdy spatula.—
Jasmine Smith,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
-
By the Second World War, the steel alloys had improved in composition, metal fabrication methods made armor more homogeneous, and the thickness was increased to create much tougher plating.—
David Szondy
May 07,
New Atlas,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The priests argued that madness was a punishment from the gods and that healing came through repentance, along with sacrifices that helped maintain the temple’s operations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The final round of fixtures on Saturday is going to be madness.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This was the most straightforward, efficient episode of the season, pleasurable in its simplicity, with only one gimmick (the to-go orders) that barely made a difference to the episode’s outcome.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That simplicity is an advantage that baseball has over hockey, where everything moves so much faster and the plays don’t happen in discrete chunks.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That men like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are entrusted with businesses of tectonic influence can be difficult to understand, but their cults of personality have been able to survive scrutiny, perhaps because the money itself is too imposing a firewall for their own stupidity to penetrate.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Eric Swalwell, a prominent Democratic House member and a front-runner in the race for California governor, had his political career blown up by allegations of degeneracy and abject stupidity.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As Akhavan speaks, the absurdity of reading the lilies as emblems of colonialism is impossible to ignore.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Church went to the Holy Land in search of sublimity; Twain fastened on the absurdities of those determined to find it.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Compare that to punk rock, which used dumbness as a tactic.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Still, foolishness can sometimes bring good results; there are good results here, and some less than good.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
Jon Caramanica To stratify the 400-song catalog of Carole King, let alone choose her shiniest song, is an exercise in foolishness.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Witlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witlessness. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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