1
as in stupid
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
a dog so witless that it is barely trainable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a witless decision to relocate to the other side of the country without even the prospect of a job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of witless
But apparently, California just couldn’t abide this challenge to its primacy as the most witless state in the union.
—
Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Sep. 2024
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) To borrow Jeff Bridges’s description of the magazine that Simon Pegg’s character once ran, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is witless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024
Police believed the perpetrators were the yakuza, who were irked by Itami’s portrayal of them as witless bullies outsmarted by a cunning attorney (played by Itami’s actress wife Nobuko Miyamoto, who starred in all of his films) in Minbo.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
Ayer does a more-than-decent job directing the action scenes, which is what matters most with such a witless genre entry.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for witless 
Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Sep. 2024
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) To borrow Jeff Bridges’s description of the magazine that Simon Pegg’s character once ran, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is witless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024
Police believed the perpetrators were the yakuza, who were irked by Itami’s portrayal of them as witless bullies outsmarted by a cunning attorney (played by Itami’s actress wife Nobuko Miyamoto, who starred in all of his films) in Minbo.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
Ayer does a more-than-decent job directing the action scenes, which is what matters most with such a witless genre entry.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for witless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witless
Adjective
-
The premise itself is both deeply stupid and incredibly clever (the sweet spot, really).—
Erin Strecker,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Some of the replies were the usual stupid snark on social media from people who thrive on being negative.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The bottom line: try not to be weather wise, climate foolish.—
Renee Winick,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
-
Trump's plan for redevelopment of Gaza Strip is both foolish and unworkable, not a great combination.—
Baltimore Sun Editorial Board,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2025
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
-
Today, Sophia Smith, a Colorado kid whose commute from Windsor and dedication to soccer makes my story look silly, is making more than $500,000 a year in her new contract with the Portland Thorns, and reports say her outside contracts and sponsorships are worth another $1.2 million.—
Megan Schrader,
The Denver Post,
9 Feb. 2025
-
The way bacon is packaged in this country is silly.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
After the fines in September, SpaceX sent a letter to Congress blasting AST for being too slow to keep up with the booming space industry.—
Heather Vogell,
ProPublica,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Level 2 charging times with the Premium trim and its smaller 14.9 kWh battery are roughly the same thanks to a slower onboard charger (3 kW vs. 6 on the Ultimate).—
Tim Stevens,
Ars Technica,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
These absurd names and acronyms speak to both the cult-y side of the Eagans and to the ways that corporations keep trying to reinvent things, words included, that worked just fine as is.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
7 Feb. 2025
-
This gorgeous film’s premise is a simple, humanist, and not particularly dramatic one, of the type that the Italian neorealists treasured, but it’s been given an absurd, comic-romantic spin.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Read: The constitutional crisis is here But if the agency is restored—next week, next month, or years from now—restarting its work won’t be as simple as turning the flow of cash back on.—
Hana Kiros,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Gamers will love its dual HDMI 2.1 inputs for a variable refresh rate (VRR) of up to 144 Hz, while the Google TV interface makes setup and streaming simple and swift.—
Ryan Waniata,
WIRED,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Netflix is on a mad one this morning, posting teaser after release date after preview of their slate for the rest of the year, including a first look at Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein starring Oscar Isaac.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
-
The project stars Oscar Isaac as the titular mad scientist and Jacob Elordi as his monstrous creation, and also features Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near witless
Cite this Entry
“Witless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witless. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share