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
  • In one sense, this isn’t an entirely stupid proposition.
    Air Mail, Air Mail, 3 May 2025
  • Vel rails against the offender, saying her lover was the kind of warrior the Ghor rebels are trying to be and that her loss is both incalculable and stupid.
    Noel Murray, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • And this is not a story of corporate greed run amok, because Walmart would be foolish to try to gouge its customers at a time when economic anxiety is high (more on that in a moment).
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
  • Peters said the training from Wayne State's Institute of Gerontology has helped credit union employees to better frame probing questions that will get a positive response without making members feel foolish.
    Susan Tompor, USA Today, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • As part of an agreement between defense and prosecuting attorneys, 35-year-old Bryson Levy was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Feb. 4.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 May 2025
  • Dominguez has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity to the stabbings two years ago that killed David Breaux, 50, and Karim Abou Najm, 20, as well as the near-fatal attack on Guillory.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2025
Noun
  • Depending on the steel's thickness, a loop can stretch up to tens of thousands of feet, Modesitt said.
    Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 7 May 2025
  • The video compares the dummy of the 17 Air to the current iPhone 16 Pro, and the difference in thickness is striking — and the difference will be even more pronounced if rumors about the iPhone 17 Pro Max design prove true.
    David Phelan, Forbes.com, 5 May 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
  • Using the Graham Norton hologram to tell us that the Earth was turned to ash on May 24th, 2025 is just the right kind of silly for this show.
    Ryan Woodrow, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
  • Eurovision is still too much of a silly spectacle for some, even with JJ in it.
    Alex Marshall, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • And, last weekend, in the midst of Met Gala madness, the four iconic artist-entrepreneurs were reunited at the show’s 20th anniversary.
    India Espy-Jones, Essence, 14 May 2025
  • In some Asian and Middle Eastern traditions, dementia was historically associated with madness or idiocy.
    Marion Renault, The Atlantic, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • Life has likely felt a bit nebulous and slow for you in the past year, Cancer.
    Kyle Thomas, People.com, 18 May 2025
  • Albon asked Williams for information on where Leclerc was likely slow at the restart, looking for a spot to capitalize.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 18 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Witless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witless. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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