dunce cap

noun

: a conical cap formerly used as a punishment for slow learners at school

called also dunce's cap

Examples of dunce cap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the dunce cap becomes more sinister when compared to the row of clothes hanging across from it: children-sized Ku Klux Klan robes. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2024 In the corner, a comically tall white dunce cap sits, ready for some misbehaved student to be ridiculed with it. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2024 Ironically, she was punished in school for not being able to keep quiet and put in a corner with a dunce cap on her head. Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2023 But the year's dunce cap goes to Toyota's first mainstream EV, the bZ4X. Don't blame the bZ4X's absurd name or Toyota's slow foray into electrics for this honor. Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, 1 Jan. 2023 In a famous drawing, Gillray shows the Doctor wearing a kind of dunce cap and being pursued by Apollo and the Muses, who seem eager to thrash him for his critical judgments. William Anthony Hay, WSJ, 2 Dec. 2022 The dunce cap lifts the mood of any good gathering with a little healthy self-deprication. Mark Stock, Men's Health, 16 Nov. 2022 On sweltering summer days, my grandfather, a minor town official, was paraded through the streets in chains and a dunce cap, upon which was scrawled a litany of his failures. Belinda Huijuan Tang, Vogue, 5 May 2022 Come December, the predictor will either be wearing a dunce cap or a genius cap. Division 1: Santa Ana Mater Dei. Eric Sondheimer Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dunce cap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1791, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dunce cap was circa 1791

Dictionary Entries Near dunce cap

Cite this Entry

“Dunce cap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dunce%20cap. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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