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
-
Amelia soon decides that stupid boys (and humans in general) aren't worth keeping around.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
And in practice, the experience is delightfully stupid.—
Luke Winkie,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
My big mistake was in not challenging from the stage the foolish few who booed.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
31 Mar. 2025
-
While tailback isn’t a need, only foolish franchises pass up the opportunity to add generational talents like Jeanty.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 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
-
Moments that may seem silly or insignificant to others — like sharing a particular greeting, teasing each other in a familiar way or even speaking to each other in silly, baby-ish voices — can be great sources of comfort and familiarity for partners.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
-
The industry has seen its fair share of terrible ideas, from the downright bizarre to the silly.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
While the dollar amount of initial aid is in line with what the U.S. has pledged in the past, the overall pace of the response has been slower.—
Shannon K. Kingston,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This whole exercise of proving the absence of antisemitism as a prerequisite to criticizing Israeli government policy is absurd.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Still, the sexist double standards around pockets have continued to be present in absurd ways.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That simplicity feels so apt for this show, There's enough here: The production is simple and sweet, while Jonas and Warren exude a certain magnetism.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Kit kept things simple with a traditional dark blue suit, pairing the look with a white shirt and polkadot bowtie and his usual glasses.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
And the maddest thing of all is the AI Generator, who wants to marry her!—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
6 Apr. 2025
-
The other tuna dodged their dead companions with a flick of the tail and continued their mad carousel.—
Julia Amberger, Nanni Fontana, Marzio Mian, & Nicola Scevola (Tr. Elettra Pauletto),
The Dial,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Witless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witless. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share