as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
you're not unintelligent, so you must just be stubbornly resisting all attempts to teach you something
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Recent Examples of unintelligent
Both of these insults are based on racist stereotypes (the lazy trope and the unintelligent trope) that have been weaponized against Black people throughout history.
—
Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
There’s often depictions of Middle Eastern men as either unintelligent or violent.
—Morgan Godvin, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2024
The stereotypical image of a Neanderthal is that of a brutish, unintelligent and uncivilized caveman.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024
For example, Republicans and Democrats became more likely to view each other as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral, unintelligent and lazy between 2016 and 2022, according to a different Pew study based on responses from 6,174 adults.
—Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unintelligent
Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
There’s often depictions of Middle Eastern men as either unintelligent or violent.
—Morgan Godvin, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2024
The stereotypical image of a Neanderthal is that of a brutish, unintelligent and uncivilized caveman.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024
For example, Republicans and Democrats became more likely to view each other as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral, unintelligent and lazy between 2016 and 2022, according to a different Pew study based on responses from 6,174 adults.
—Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for unintelligent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintelligent
Adjective
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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
-
His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
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Each of them loses track of a CD filled with secrets, and some end up dying in the stupidest possible ways because of their incompetence.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The shark’s slow movement may have allowed the octopus to stay latched on, but if the mako had picked up speed, the octopus likely would have been forced off.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Faster hard drives will tend to make more noise than slower ones.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Pair them with a simple T-shirt to grab a coffee at a cafe.—
Rylee Johnston,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Mar. 2025
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Jenner wore a gray and lightly checked car coat, a simple black knit sweater, straight leg blue jeans, and black ballet flats.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Another director might have shied away from such minutiae or worse, be completely ignorant of them.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
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Consider that Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-war protester and recent graduate of Columbia University, was arrested on a Saturday night by ICE agents who appeared ignorant of his status as a legal U.S. resident and his rights thereof.—
Nisha Whitehead,
Orange County Register,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Unfortunately, last April’s total solar eclipse was a bust for me, and the U.K.’s weather tends to be uncooperative for celestial events, often hiding them behind thick clouds.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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The open-faced turkey sandwich, traditionally served warm on a thick slice of toast with bacon, tomatoes, and Mornay sauce, is a headliner on the Bluegrass State’s long list of culinary contributions.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
No matter what your feelings are about Sternberg and his executive team today, these are not foolish people.—
John Romano,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
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There's nothing foolish about choosing beauty over practicality if that's what your heart desires.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unintelligent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintelligent. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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