brain-dead
adjective
1
: characterized by brain death
2
: lacking intelligence or vitality
brain-dead fools
Synonyms
- airheaded
- birdbrained
- bonehead
- boneheaded
- brainless
- bubbleheaded
- chuckleheaded
- dense
- dim
- dim-witted
- doltish
- dopey
- dopy
- dorky [slang]
- dull
- dumb
- dunderheaded
- empty-headed
- fatuous
- gormless [chiefly British]
- half-witted
- knuckleheaded
- lamebrain
- lamebrained
- lunkheaded
- mindless
- oafish
- obtuse
- opaque
- pinheaded
- senseless
- simple
- slow
- slow-witted
- soft
- softheaded
- stupid
- thick
- thick-witted
- thickheaded
- unintelligent
- unsmart
- vacuous
- weak-minded
- witless
Examples of brain-dead in a Sentence
it seems like she's always doing some brain-dead thing or another
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2013, when a 13-year-old girl, Jahi McMath, underwent surgery, her heart stopped and, two days later, doctors declared her brain-dead.
—
Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 4 Oct. 2024
Also, unnatural herds of crabs roam the land, and a brain-dead patient who’s about to have his organs harvested suddenly revives on the operating table.
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024
Surgeons had previously tested a pig kidney transplant on brain-dead patients.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 9 July 2024
He was declared brain-dead Tuesday afternoon by the Lincoln County coroner, according to the criminal complaint.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for brain-dead 
Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 4 Oct. 2024
Also, unnatural herds of crabs roam the land, and a brain-dead patient who’s about to have his organs harvested suddenly revives on the operating table.
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024
Surgeons had previously tested a pig kidney transplant on brain-dead patients.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 9 July 2024
He was declared brain-dead Tuesday afternoon by the Lincoln County coroner, according to the criminal complaint.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for brain-dead
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brain-dead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near brain-dead
Cite this Entry
“Brain-dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brain-dead. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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