dumb

1 of 2

adjective

ˈdəm 

dumber; dumbest

1

a

: lacking intelligence : stupid

pretended to be dumb

b

: showing a lack of intelligence

asking dumb questions

a dumb look on his face

c

: requiring no intelligence

dumb luck

2

a

: lacking the human power of speech

dumb animals

b

dated, offensive, of a person; see usage paragraph below : lacking the ability to speak : mute

3

: temporarily unable to speak (as from shock or astonishment)

struck dumb with fear

4

: not expressed in uttered words

dumb grief

5

: silent

they were capable of sitting for hours, dumb and unabashed, over their pipes

—Ellen Glasgow

also : taciturn

6

: lacking some usual attribute or accompaniment

especially : having no means of self-propulsion

a dumb barge

7

: not having the capability to process data

a dumb terminal

compare intelligent sense 3a

dumbly

ˈdəm-lē 

adverb

dumbness noun

Usage of Dumb

The term dumb as a descriptor for someone lacking the ability to speak was once common, and from the early 19th century, it featured in the names of schools and advocacy organizations. In that same century, however, rejection of the term by the population it aimed to describe began, and by the end of the 20th century, the offensiveness of dumb was widely recognized. When a single term to describe someone who lacks the ability to speak is called for, the adjective mute is used instead.

dumb

2 of 2

verb

dumbed; dumbing; dumbs

transitive verb

: to make silent : deaden

would lie around, dumbed by the drugs

—Norman Mailer

Synonyms

Adjective

• mum
• mute
• muted
• silent
• speechless
• uncommunicative
• wordless

Verb

• extinguish
• hush
• mute
• quell
• quiet
• quieten [chiefly British]
• settle
• shush
• shut up
• silence
• squelch
• still

Choose the Right Synonym for dumb

stupid, dull, dense, crass, dumb mean lacking in power to absorb ideas or impressions.

stupid implies a slow-witted or dazed state of mind that may be either congenital or temporary.

stupid students just keeping the seats warm

stupid with drink

dull suggests a slow or sluggish mind such as results from disease, depression, or shock.

monotonous work that leaves the mind dull

dense implies a thickheaded imperviousness to ideas.

too dense to take a hint

crass suggests a grossness of mind precluding discrimination or delicacy.

a crass, materialistic people

dumb applies to an exasperating obtuseness or lack of comprehension.

too dumb to figure out what's going on

Examples of dumb in a Sentence

Adjective

I'm not dumb enough to believe that.

It was a dumb idea in the first place.

He just stood there with a dumb grin on his face.

This is one of the dumbest TV shows I've ever seen.

It was dumb luck that we found this place at all.

His success is just a matter of dumb luck.

He was born deaf and dumb.

Verb

the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Verb

In order to save time, space, or money, audio companies will often take the design of a larger, more expensive device and dumb it down slightly to make a product that's more accessible, and probably better for most of us. —Parker Hall, WIRED, 6 May 2021

To dumb it down, think about how action figures of the past had limited points of articulation. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Verb

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German tumb mute

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dumb

• act dumb
• dumb-ass
• dumb cane
• dumb down
• dumb show
• struck dumb

Kids Definition

dumb

adjective

ˈdəm

1

a

: lacking the human power of speech

dumb animals

b

of a person, offensive : lacking the ability to speak

—used especially in the past

2

: not willing to speak

3

: stupid sense 1a, unthinking

dumbly

ˈdəm-lē

adverb

dumbness noun