half-witted

adjective

Definition of half-wittednext
1
as in stupid
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily the young genius mastered calculus while his peers, who seemed half-witted in comparison, labored over basic addition and subtraction

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment had the half-witted idea to try to swim across the raging river, and would have drowned if someone hadn't rescued him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-witted
  1. stupid
  2. foolish
  3. dumb
  4. silly
  5. slow
  6. absurd
  7. simple
  8. mad
Adjective
  • For the people stupid enough to have trusted a midwit career bureaucrat as unscrupulous as President Joe Biden, there’s a sixth stage just before acceptance: delusion.
    Becket Adams, National Review, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Wild Card with Rachel Martin Issa Rae on the belief that gets her through 'stupid mistakes and bad decisions' Lithgow: More.
    Rachel Martin, NPR, 8 Dec. 2024
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • If he can be had for under $10 million a year, the Yankees would be foolish to not pursue that idea.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
  • What a degrading finale for Biden’s feeble, forgettable, frequently foolish presidency.
    Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2024
Definition of foolish
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
Definition of dumb
Adjective
  • Packed with silly hijinks, this 2004 comedy also stars Kristin Chenoweth and Kristin Davis.
    Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Staff take part in silly skits and showcase rare albums that have not been digitized from the station's giant record collection.
    Meira Gebel, Axios, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • No one knows for sure why the rally happens but some experts attribute it to such seasonal things as holiday shopping and investors wrapping up their books before the end of the year, ahead of a slower January.
    Benzinga, Detroit Free Press, 7 Dec. 2024
  • Wine and conversation flow on a slow tour of the natural vineyards in Spain’s Castilla y León.
    Megan Lloyd, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2024
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • But the series, like the film, shows that vampires are also multidimensional — vulnerable, emotional, funny, absurd — and completely out of place in the modern world.
    Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Photo: Their lives often appear dramatic and borderline absurd.
    Daisy Jones, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • Maybe the key to a truly satisfying vacation in 2025 is simple: more of it.
    Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The equation is simple: The more authoritarianism in the world, the more dissidents.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
Definition of simple
Adjective
  • Idiot glee is a kind of sheer joy at the mad fact of the world.
    Sean Illing, Vox, 9 Dec. 2024
  • But neither doctors nor group therapy can see beyond a confused and maybe slightly mad person.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
Definition of mad
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near half-witted

half-wits

half-witted

half-wittedness

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Cite this Entry

“Half-witted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-witted. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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