witlessness

noun

Definition of witlessnessnext
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

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 witlessness No, but the line captures the aristocracy’s witlessness. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witlessness
  1. insanity
  2. thickness
  3. madness
  4. stupidness
  5. simplicity
  6. stupidity
  7. absurdity
  8. dumbness
Noun
  • The law revised Kentucky’s insanity defense and mandatory reentry supervision rules in response to issues raised by Exantus’ case.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • If certain compounds could seemingly induce the symptoms of insanity, then perhaps insanity was a result of faulty brain chemistry—and could thus be treated with psychiatric drugs.
    — Kimon de Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • Sheriff Byron Roberson said deputies deployed 10 Taser probes, but some were ineffective, potentially because of the thickness of Lunceford’s construction clothing.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Go back over the line one more time at the end with firmer pressure to create more thickness or make the line darker if desired.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of thickness
Noun
  • The morning of the wedding could be spent escaping the madness for a moment of peace among the trees, or arranging a pre-wedding morning coffee overlooking the estate.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Back in King’s Landing, Rhaenyra comes to find that her prisoner Helaena has taken her own life but left a parting gift for the queen that foreshadows a potential prophecy of Rhaenyra’s path towards madness.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of madness
Noun
  • In an email to Krebs, Valadon claimed that the repo’s commit logs show that GitHub’s default protections against committing secrets—protections designed to protect unwitting or unskilled developers against exactly this kind of stupidness—had been disabled by the repo’s administrator.
    — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026
Definition of stupidness
Noun
  • Listing just seven items on the menu, Sehzade Cag Kebap impresses with simplicity, outstanding flavors, and efficient service.
    — CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The trending eye shadow aesthetics have evolved since then, and simplicity is reigning in its place.
    — Elle Turner, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • The latest contestant in this recurring game of fiscal stupidity is Miami.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
  • That’s only made worse by the fact that it’s treated as some kind of grand betrayal rather than an impulsive act of youthful stupidity that will make for a good story one day.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 July 2026
Definition of stupidity
Noun
  • Instead, the museum focuses on language, relationships, self-mockery, and life’s absurdities, with rakija served to visitors as the ultimate symbol of Balkan resilience.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Zinn also lived through some of the absurdities that Yossarian encountered.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of absurdity
Noun
  • The first 10 minutes are an incredible swirl of paranoia, alcoholism, and sluggish dumbness when Gould just needs to feed his cat.
    — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
  • Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.
    — Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of dumbness

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witless
witlessness
witness
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Cite this Entry

“Witlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witlessness. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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