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
  • So ridiculous the referee initially had trouble believing that anyone could be so reckless & stupid.
    The Athletic UK Staff, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
  • And there was no such thing ever as a bad decision or a stupid question.
    Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 4 Jan. 2025
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • If the young shortstop is truly as good as gone, the Blue Jays would be foolish not to trade him.
    Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
  • While admirable, the plan to resettle the poor was foolish in retrospect as the Low Country soil is sandy and the weather too hot for farming.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 27 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
  • In a follow-up post, Spears shared a cute video of a young girl telling silly jokes.
    Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 4 Jan. 2025
  • The silly yet snappy song propelled Mr. Vail, 27, to a new level of internet fame almost overnight.
    Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • The commission’s slow start is illustrated by its handling of two complaints filed in May against state Rep. Emily O’Brien.
    Jacob Orledge, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2025
  • But Williams and the Bears offense, which have struggled all season with slow starts, certainly didn’t look cool and collected prior to the fourth quarter.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • The characterizations are absurd in both concept and performance.
    Armond White, National Review, 3 Jan. 2025
  • We’re told the feature will delve deeper into themes of identity, technology, and self-perception while retaining the darkly comedic and absurd tone that defined the short.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • My top answer is a simple and no-brainer recommendation: Wash your hands with soap and water.
    Amanda Schupak, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Still, incorporating advanced technology isn’t always simple.
    Rhett Power, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
Definition of simple
Adjective
  • The elaborate choreography and colorful vision match Vincente Minnelli’s style but underneath carry a delirious energy equal to Ken Russell’s maddest visions of neurotic excess.
    Armond White, National Review, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Everton had many mad weeks under former owner Farhad Moshiri, but this one has rivalled them.
    Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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 17 Jan. 2025.

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