as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
got tired of being treated like an empty-headed lackey and quit to start a business
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Recent Examples of empty-headed
Gosling earned an Oscar nomination for his role as the empty-headed Ken, while Ferrell played the goofy CEO of Mattel.
—
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 16 July 2025
Jeff Daniels recently reflected on filming Dumb and Dumber with Jim Carrey, who played Lloyd in the comedy, and zeroed in on one of the most memorable scenes: the sequence in which his empty-headed Harry Dunne fights for his life on the toilet after accidentally drinking a whole lotta laxatives.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2025
Andrew Cunningham Pokémon NPCs usually spout empty-headed pleasantries about the wonders of Pokémon; the NPCs in Palworld set a darker tone from the start.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 23 Jan. 2024
Fairly or not, NOFX and its Warped Tour compatriots are easily written off as empty-headed, obnoxious, adolescent bros. Fat Mike’s capitalist streak rubs many purists the wrong way.
—Brett Martin, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 16 July 2025
Jeff Daniels recently reflected on filming Dumb and Dumber with Jim Carrey, who played Lloyd in the comedy, and zeroed in on one of the most memorable scenes: the sequence in which his empty-headed Harry Dunne fights for his life on the toilet after accidentally drinking a whole lotta laxatives.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2025
Andrew Cunningham Pokémon NPCs usually spout empty-headed pleasantries about the wonders of Pokémon; the NPCs in Palworld set a darker tone from the start.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 23 Jan. 2024
Fairly or not, NOFX and its Warped Tour compatriots are easily written off as empty-headed, obnoxious, adolescent bros. Fat Mike’s capitalist streak rubs many purists the wrong way.
—Brett Martin, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for empty-headed
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
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Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
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Jess: The curds themselves are crispy, but the toast is stupid.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
22 Aug. 2025
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The dialogue wasn’t dumbed down and stupid comic book stuff.—
William Earl,
Variety,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Satellite: Available almost everywhere but can be slower and affected by weather.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
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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
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Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
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
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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
Adjective
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Perhaps outright incarceration is foolish, but some responsibility should fall on the parents’ shoulders.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Aug. 2025
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Given that association with the Trumps and their circle defines the club, Donald, Jr., would be foolish to expect less than a fifth of any profits.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Empty-headed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empty-headed. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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