nitwit

noun

nit·​wit ˈnit-ˌwit How to pronounce nitwit (audio)
: a scatterbrained or stupid person

Examples of nitwit in a Sentence

Don't be such a nitwit. don't be a nitwit—wear a seat belt!
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The white supremacist rally that interrupted the mayor's lunch in Howell on Saturday wasn't overly impressive, really — just a dozen or so nitwits, and one ghost. Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 25 July 2024 The nitwits were chased off by a woman from the local library board. Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 25 July 2024 This childish nitwit called the judge deciding his case a Nazi, which earned him an extra five months in the J6 choir. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 June 2024 Dunst sleepwalks through this noxious comedy based on Toby Young’s 2001 memoir of the same name, playing a writer who takes a reluctant liking to Pegg’s infantile nitwit. Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024 Or is the old guy in the golf cart supposed to be a square, privileged nitwit parroting MAGA nonsense? Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 2 May 2024 Yet the nitwits across the street, who clutter their lawn with Christmas blow-up dolls, have won the contest four years in a row. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Dec. 2023 This implies that Elizabeth, for all her intelligence and sense of duty, was as much a moral nitwit as the Duke of Windsor. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023 So, too, does the genuinely loathsome Robert Maxwell (look him up), played with a nicely despicable air by Roger Allam, and his nitwit son Kevin (Anthony Boyle), who insists that everyone call him Mr. Maxwell. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

probably from German dialect nit not + English wit

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nitwit was in 1914

Dictionary Entries Near nitwit

Cite this Entry

“Nitwit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitwit. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

nitwit

noun
nit·​wit ˈnit-ˌwit How to pronounce nitwit (audio)
: a stupid or silly person

More from Merriam-Webster on nitwit

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!