as in mind
the normal or healthy condition of the mental abilities
scared out of her wits
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Recent Examples of wits
An organization with its wits about it would read the room.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
Just keep your wits about you in late summer, when the bears are hungriest and the trails are busiest.
—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
To convince Hannibal to cooperate, the FBI sends in Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), an agent in training who finds a way to match wits and guts with the monster in the cage.
—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Unlike Skeletor, Evil-Lyn is smarter and uses her intuitive wits to get her way.
—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Rather than a cruel Hedda, a fragile Hedda, a tragically deluded Hedda, Adele saw a woman who was comically at her wits’ end.
—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Without getting into spoilers, her one-and-done appearance in Episode 5 presents the perfect opportunity for the more-than-capable Meester to match wits with Bell’s judgmental Joanna, only to strand the actor with boring, obvious jokes and saddle her with a feeble resolution.
—
Hugh Hart,
IndieWire,
23 May 2026
Collet-Serra directed and executive produced the film that focused on Egerton as an inexperienced TSA agent who ends up in a battle of wits with a mysterious traveler (Bateman) after the stranger blackmails him into allowing a dangerous package onto a flight on Christmas Eve.
—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Cut off from the world by catastrophic flooding, with nothing but his phone and his wits, Barry is forced into a terrifying psychological battle with the unseen bombmaker who has targeted him for an unknown reason, while an FBI agent races to uncover the truth.
—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
Just keep your wits about you in late summer, when the bears are hungriest and the trails are busiest.
—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
To convince Hannibal to cooperate, the FBI sends in Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), an agent in training who finds a way to match wits and guts with the monster in the cage.
—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Unlike Skeletor, Evil-Lyn is smarter and uses her intuitive wits to get her way.
—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Rather than a cruel Hedda, a fragile Hedda, a tragically deluded Hedda, Adele saw a woman who was comically at her wits’ end.
—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Without getting into spoilers, her one-and-done appearance in Episode 5 presents the perfect opportunity for the more-than-capable Meester to match wits with Bell’s judgmental Joanna, only to strand the actor with boring, obvious jokes and saddle her with a feeble resolution.
—
Hugh Hart,
IndieWire,
23 May 2026
Collet-Serra directed and executive produced the film that focused on Egerton as an inexperienced TSA agent who ends up in a battle of wits with a mysterious traveler (Bateman) after the stranger blackmails him into allowing a dangerous package onto a flight on Christmas Eve.
—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Cut off from the world by catastrophic flooding, with nothing but his phone and his wits, Barry is forced into a terrifying psychological battle with the unseen bombmaker who has targeted him for an unknown reason, while an FBI agent races to uncover the truth.
—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wits
Noun
-
Perhaps with that base-mobilization strategy in mind, the Republican National Committee is planning to hold a first-ever midterm convention this summer.
-
Eucerin’s Clear Skin Sunscreen is formulated with oily, acne-prone skin in mind.
Noun
-
Make room for summer fun—and keep your sanity—with this quick list of things to toss from your kids’ rooms before school’s out and chaos sets in.
-
Your time, money and sanity are too precious to waste.
Cite this Entry
“Wits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wits. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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