witless 1 of 2

1
as in stupid
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

witlessness

2 of 2

noun

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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
Adjective
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 apparently, California just couldn’t abide this challenge to its primacy as the most witless state in the union. Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Sep. 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 See All Example Sentences for witless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witless
Adjective
  • Camp, stupid, joyful—to both own and access—Labubu has taken over.
    Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 31 May 2025
  • This is just stupid how successful this is, but that’s really underselling it.
    Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • Kent can often just look foolish onstage, sitting there idling.
    Nan Z. Da June 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
  • To write off the Israeli leader would be foolish, especially with new elections not required until late 2026.
    Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • Sending yet another one back to City Hall would be the definition of insanity.
    Whitney Tilson, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025
  • Alissa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but he was found competent to stand trial in 2023 after spending time at a mental hospital.
    John Bacon, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • While there are certainly products that can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and needs, hair products are often created with specific consumers in mind.
    Annie Blackman, Allure, 5 June 2025
  • The dial and movement are housed in a 40mm 316L polished stainless steel case with a thickness of 14.90mm.
    Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.
    Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 July 2017
  • Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.
    Andy Benoit, The MMQB, 10 July 2017
Adjective
  • Alas, during one night siege (silly enough to not scare the little ones, even as the entire village repeatedly goes up in flames), Hiccup aims his weapon at the shape of a Night Fury (no one, we’re told repeatedly, as ever really seen one), shoots, and … what!
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 June 2025
  • Still, sometimes Forrest’s demands seemed nitpicky, silly even.
    Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2025
Noun
  • As Scott stumbles through a chaotic weekend, Neil proves a ride-or-die friend who may be the only sane voice in the madness of wedding season.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 May 2025
  • Once again, the film is about the anguish of losing a loved one and the the desire to connect with the dead one more time, the annihilating madness of grief driving a person to unspeakable ends.
    Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • Strain into a highball glass, while simultaneously adding the club soda together in one slow stream to achieve the fluffy, towering fizz.
    Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • And while the Canadian industry made early gains to close a gender gap in the film and TV industry, making strides in advancing and promoting talent from underrepresented Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities has been slower and more incremental.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Witless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witless. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.

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