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dimwit

dimwit

14 7.7
A person who is not very smart
  • noun
  • /ˈdɪmˌwɪt/
  • Offensive
translation icon : idiota
  • The classroom was filled with students, but one dimwit kept asking silly questions.
  • Get a life, dimwit

Examples

  • They're protesting our own station, dimwit.

  • There were families with seven kids, a grandmother, a dimwit uncle.

  • Well, Mr. Dimwit, this is your lucky day.

  • When are people, the media, and our dimwit leaders going to wake up?!

    Blog text (14)
  • When are you dimwits going to get this fixed?

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I'm glad you're around to take care of him, because he can be such a dimwit.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I'm locked up with a bunch of dimwits.

  • If you let that dimwit walk outta here with my favorite nightgown, you gotta be kiddin' me.

  • My hunch is that we grossly underestimate the intellect of young children and assume they are all underachievers and dimwits.

    Academic text (2013)
  • She called him a dimwit for forgetting their anniversary.

Synonyms

idiot
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
1.2

A person who acts very stupidly, used as an insult

is milder and less extreme in its level of insult
dummy
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
115 6.0

A person who is seen as stupid or makes simple mistakes

is slightly more playful and less formal than that label
dumbass
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
88 9.9

A rude word for someone who does something very stupid

is a milder casual insult used more in neutral speech
doofus
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
43 8.0

A person who acts silly or seems not very smart

is a more direct insult rather than playful teasing
nitwit
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
36 7.9

A person who acts silly and not very smart

is a more direct insult focusing on simple lack of intelligence
dipshit
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
34 9.9

A rude word for a very foolish person

is a milder name used in everyday speech without vulgarity
stupid person
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
30 1.1

A person who is not very smart and often makes bad choices

is the shorter single word used for the same meaning
half-wit
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
15 8.9

A rude word for a person who seems very stupid

is used more casually and is less sharply offensive in tone
dunce
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
11 6.1

A person who learns slowly or has trouble understanding

is a general insult about lacking intelligence not learning speed
numbskull
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
8 6.8

A person who is not very smart and often acts without thinking

is similar but sounds slightly softer and less blunt
dullard
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
5 7.8

A person who is slow to understand things

is a general insult about lack of smarts rather than slowness
numskull
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
4 8.9

A person who is very stupid

is milder and less forceful in tone than this blunt name
dummkopf
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
3 9.9

A rude name for a person who is very silly or not smart

is a general English insult rather than this foreign flavored term
dunderhead
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
3 9.1

A person who often does foolish things or makes simple mistakes

is a more common informal insult compared with this older term
lamebrain
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
3 9.3

A person who is not very smart

is a more neutral description rather than this slang insult
dumbo
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
2 8.7

A person who is not very smart

is slightly stronger and more negative in everyday use
stupid
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
1 2.7

A person who is not intelligent and often makes poor choices

is commonly used as a mild personal insult rather than a neutral label
dumbhead
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
1 9.8

A rude word for a person who is very stupid

is a more neutral insult also used lightly in speech
simple
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is not very intelligent

is used more as a casual insulting name in everyday speech
lackwit
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is silly and not very clever

is the modern everyday word used for the same idea
thicky
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
9.9

A rude name for a person who is slow to understand

is a general everyday insult used without strong slang force
shitwit
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
9.9

A rude, stupid person who annoys others

is a milder insult suitable for general use rather than vulgarity
witling
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who is not very clever and sometimes pretends to be smart

is a simpler insult about lacking intelligence without pretending
der-brain
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who acts foolishly or forgets things

is focused only on lack of intelligence not forgetfulness or silliness
pudden-head
vsdimwit
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who is not very smart

is a more current casual insult rather than this older term

Antonyms

252 4.9

A person with very strong intelligence or creative skill

How Stupid

moron
  • Slur
483 8.1
idiot
  • Offensive
1.2
dimwit
  • Offensive
14 7.7
fool
  • Offensive
1.4
simpleton
  • Offensive
21 7.3

Surface Forms

dimwit singular
dimwits plural

Morphology

dimwit = dim + wit (transparent) = dim + wit

The meaning 'a person with dim wit' (= someone lacking intelligence) follows directly from 'dim' + 'wit'.

Etymology

The word dimwit is made from dim, meaning 'not bright', and wit, meaning 'intelligence' or 'a quick mind'. So a dimwit is like someone whose mental 'light' is low, which is why it means a person who is not very smart.