as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
the show's amateur sleuth always has to explain to the dim-witted police chief who really committed the murder
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Recent Examples of dim-witted
Mike Judge created the series and voices many of the characters, including the titular dim-witted duo.
—
Joe Otterson, Variety, 24 July 2025
Three years later, Hurst was cast on CBS’ The Dukes of Hazzard as Hazzard County bigwig Boss Hogg’s dim-witted second cousin, twice removed.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 26 June 2025
Rising from the coffin of a hilarious but obscure mockumentary feature about four sort-of loser vampire housemates in suburban New Zealand, the FX sitcom shifted the action to Staten Island and cast its undead ensemble as blithely murderous, petty, pansexual and often dim-witted.
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
During The Beverly Hillbillies’ nine-season run, Baer Jr. starred as dim-witted Clampett cousin Jethro Bodine as well as making several appearances in drag as his character’s twin sister, Jethrine.
—John Russell, People.com, 11 May 2025
But fans clearly missed seeing the endearing — if dim-witted — Joey alongside his pals Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Ross (David Schwimmer), because viewership steadily declined as the series progressed.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2025
His longest-running series role was as Con Stapleton, a dim-witted card dealer who briefly becomes sheriff, in the 2004 HBO Western Deadwood.
—Gabriela Silva, TVLine, 21 Feb. 2025
Comedian Al Campbell played a dim-witted commentator with the ludicrous name Barry Shitpeas.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Admittedly, laying off development staff to pay investors that fund publishing is a bit like cutting off your legs while trying to escape from a rampaging lion, but most of the people in publishing management are rather dim-witted.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Joe Otterson, Variety, 24 July 2025
Three years later, Hurst was cast on CBS’ The Dukes of Hazzard as Hazzard County bigwig Boss Hogg’s dim-witted second cousin, twice removed.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 26 June 2025
Rising from the coffin of a hilarious but obscure mockumentary feature about four sort-of loser vampire housemates in suburban New Zealand, the FX sitcom shifted the action to Staten Island and cast its undead ensemble as blithely murderous, petty, pansexual and often dim-witted.
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
During The Beverly Hillbillies’ nine-season run, Baer Jr. starred as dim-witted Clampett cousin Jethro Bodine as well as making several appearances in drag as his character’s twin sister, Jethrine.
—John Russell, People.com, 11 May 2025
But fans clearly missed seeing the endearing — if dim-witted — Joey alongside his pals Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Ross (David Schwimmer), because viewership steadily declined as the series progressed.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2025
His longest-running series role was as Con Stapleton, a dim-witted card dealer who briefly becomes sheriff, in the 2004 HBO Western Deadwood.
—Gabriela Silva, TVLine, 21 Feb. 2025
Comedian Al Campbell played a dim-witted commentator with the ludicrous name Barry Shitpeas.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Admittedly, laying off development staff to pay investors that fund publishing is a bit like cutting off your legs while trying to escape from a rampaging lion, but most of the people in publishing management are rather dim-witted.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dim-witted
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
Adjective
-
Jess: The curds themselves are crispy, but the toast is stupid.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
22 Aug. 2025
-
The dialogue wasn’t dumbed down and stupid comic book stuff.—
William Earl,
Variety,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Joseph can also play the right side, and his presence gives the Canucks flexibility to take it slow with the likes of Tom Willander and Victor Mancini at camp.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
22 Aug. 2025
-
New York lawmakers are proposing rules to humanely drive down the population of rats and other rodents, eyeing contraception and a ban on glue traps as alternatives to poison or a slow, brutal death.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For Zander, who has spent three decades championing play as a form of healing, the solution lies in something deceptively simple: rediscovering the human joy of play.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Fun’s model is simple in theory but ambitious in practice: turn crypto trading volume into a permanent funding stream.—
Jemma Green,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The sturdy handle and thicker walls echo the utility these beers were brewed for—robust, satisfying, and meant to be lingered over.—
Hudson Lindenberger,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
-
One is a Dutch oven, a heavy pot with thick walls and a tight-fitting lid, typically cast iron and traditionally used for stews, soups and bread.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dim-witted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dim-witted. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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