1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
don't be a nitwit—wear a seat belt!
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiot
a stupid person
an absolute nitwit as far as geography is concerned
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fool
a silly flighty person
a nitwit who never should have been given a position of responsibility in the company
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nitwit
That’s the pumping-iron term for somebody who’s kind of a nitwit.
—
Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
The plot involves risqué photos of someone in the royal family being used as collateral, and poor Terry and his nitwit crew were tricked into trying to steal these from the bank instead of money.
—Mike Ryan, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
At one point, in the role of a former C.I.A. agent, Walter Lloyd, Hackman stubs a gun under the nose of a hapless nitwit from the agency who has been sent to protect Walter and his family.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
Stan Brooks: That’s the pumping-iron term for somebody who’s kind of a nitwit.
—Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
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
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
Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
The plot involves risqué photos of someone in the royal family being used as collateral, and poor Terry and his nitwit crew were tricked into trying to steal these from the bank instead of money.
—Mike Ryan, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
At one point, in the role of a former C.I.A. agent, Walter Lloyd, Hackman stubs a gun under the nose of a hapless nitwit from the agency who has been sent to protect Walter and his family.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
Stan Brooks: That’s the pumping-iron term for somebody who’s kind of a nitwit.
—Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitwit
Noun
-
That said, sense-making is a fool’s errand in this era.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Holding out hope for Hannah’s return, or Janine’s liberation, or… anything, really, by this point in the Hulu drama’s final run can feel like a fool’s errand.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Rather than stay pigeonholed as a ditz, Simpson (who just released new music for the first time in 15 years) went on to launch her own fashion brand, which hit $1 billion in sales in 2015 and is still going strong today.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
20 Mar. 2025
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Besides offering a cash prize of up to $250,000, the show can help change perception of a villain or a ditz and be a springboard for their next casting.—
Shivani Gonzalez,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Sometimes too stupid is actually smartski but sometimes is just stupid stupid.—
Caroline Downey,
National Review,
27 Mar. 2025
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An underrated gem — not enough people have seen this top-tier season — Squirrels Trip has some fabulous vocals, very funny lyrics, a heavy dose of stupid, and an engaging story.—
Barry Levitt,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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It was shot in portrait because it was shot in Instagram by and for a woman who was losing her mind in quarantine and had fully let the sillies take the wheel.—
Ego Nwodim,
TIME,
12 Feb. 2025
-
Some more sillies from last night’s GRAMMY nominees reception.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
4 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
It’s not known what caused the goose to leave Wrigley.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
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For one thing, the methods for growing and manipulating the embryonic precursors of avian sperm and eggs in a lab setting have been developed for only two birds: the chicken and, recently, the goose.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In a signature segment, the Joke Wall, performers in mod regalia poked their heads out of holes in a set, like cuckoos emerging from a clock, and spouted one-liners.—
Susan Morrison,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
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Egg laying behavior of common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus): Data based on field video-recordings The New York Academy of Sciences.—
Cody Cottier,
Discover Magazine,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Duvall is a big reason why: All the film’s insights into the slipperiness of identity are there in her casually virtuosic, veritable dual performance, in which a funny flibbertigibbet loses hold of herself as the world around seems to splinter into something frighteningly new.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
19 July 2024
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Projects about Monroe have handled her personal life to varying degrees of success, often leaning into her flibbertigibbet persona, her struggles with addiction, and the paradox of her oozing sexuality and her little girl brokenness.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
24 Jan. 2023
Noun
-
Should former President Trump stop calling Ambassador Haley birdbrain?—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2024
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By solving one kind of puzzle that stumped crows, though, the kids may have shown how a human mind treats problems differently than a birdbrain.—
Elizabeth Preston,
Discover Magazine,
26 July 2012
Cite this Entry
“Nitwit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitwit. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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