Skip to main content
dunderhead

dunderhead

3 9.1
A person who often does foolish things or makes simple mistakes
  • noun
  • /ˈdʌndərˌhɛd/
  • Offensive
translation icon : zoquete
  • The last thing I want is a mob of you dunderheads setting the rules.
  • greedy dunderheads
  • big dunderheads

You know, I, I remember being slammed up against the locker by Jim Mon, who was our our local gym teacher and dunderhead.

Examples

  • Congress and the army are full of dunderheads.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Sullivan is a silly little dunderhead.

    Blog text (5)
  • I've come back to rescue you, you great dunderhead.

  • He's just an insensitive dunderhead.

    Blog text (26)
  • What a self-satisfied dunderhead!

    Blog text (7)
  • Equal pay is common justice and if you two weren't such a pair of egotistical, chauvinistic, bigoted dunderheads, you would realize that.

  • The dunderheads who run New York City, led by billionaire Mayor Mike Bloomberg, could have foreseen this by looking at what was required in the past and how effective it was.

    Blog text (9)
  • Everyone knew he was a dunderhead for believing that nonsense.

  • The teacher called the student a dunderhead after he forgot the lesson.

  • It's hard to believe that a dunderhead like him could win the competition.

Synonyms

dumbass
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
88 9.9

A rude word for someone who does something very stupid

is a general neutral word without strong vulgar offence
dickhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
67 9.9

A rude name for a person who is stupid and annoying

is a simpler, less aggressive word for lack of intelligence
shithead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
55 9.9

A rude word for a person who is very stupid and unpleasant

is a general, nonvulgar term for being foolish
bonehead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
43 7.9

A person who does silly things without thinking

is the simple word for such lack without extra tone
knucklehead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
42 8.1

A person who behaves in a foolish way

is the neutral descriptive label rather than casual slang
pinhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
35 8.7

A person who makes silly mistakes

is a general less blunt term for lack of intelligence
fuckhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
18 9.9

A rude insulting word for someone who is very stupid or unpleasant

is the neutral descriptor without vulgarity
airhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
13 8.8

A person who is silly and not very smart

is about general lack of intelligence rather than airiness
blockhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
12 8.2

A person who is stupid or slow to understand things

focuses on general foolishness rather than learning speed
dunce
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
11 6.1

A person who learns slowly or has trouble understanding

focuses on general foolishness rather than learning speed
numbskull
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
8 6.8

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

is a basic label for the same lack of intelligence
fathead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
6 8.2

A person who is foolish and not very smart

is a general descriptor for lack of intelligence without insult tone
lunkhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
5 9.7

A person who is not very smart

is a broader ordinary word for the same idea
numskull
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
4 8.9

A person who is very stupid

is a general word for foolishness without blunt tone
chowderhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
3 9.9

A person who behaves in a silly or stupid way

focuses on general lack of intelligence rather than silly acts
hammerhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
3 8.4

A rude word for someone who is not smart

is the basic neutral descriptor without blunt wording
dumbo
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
2 8.7

A person who is not very smart

is a straightforward neutral word rather than a mild insult
stupid
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 2.7

A person who is not intelligent and often makes poor choices

is the same general idea expressed in a single informal word
stupidhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.5

A childish name used to call someone silly

is the adult neutral word for being foolish rather than a taunt
jughead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Someone who behaves in a silly or foolish way

is a neutral descriptor rather than slangy name
featherhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 8.9

A person who is silly and often forgets things

is a neutral term for unintelligence, not about seriousness
dumbhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.8

A rude word for a person who is very stupid

is the ordinary descriptive term without slangy force
muttonhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who acts in a silly or stupid way

is a plain description without insulting tone
simple
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is not very intelligent

is used as an insulting label rather than neutral description
loggerhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is very stupid or foolish

is a neutral label rather than an explicit insult
conehead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.9

An insulting word for a person who does foolish things

is the broader term for lack of intelligence without this label
stupid-head
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.1

A playful insult for a person who acts silly

is the standard descriptive term, not childish play
pudding head
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is not very smart

is the neutral word without casual or playful tone
blubberhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who behaves in a foolish way

is a straightforward descriptor for lack of intelligence
coconut head
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who acts foolishly and lacks common sense

is a general term for lacking intelligence beyond just common sense
lackwit
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is silly and not very clever

is the regular modern descriptor without old fashioned tone
leatherhead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
9.9

An insulting name for a stupid person

is a general word without implied insult
pudden-head
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who is not very smart

is a simple descriptive term without informal flavour
der-brain
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who acts foolishly or forgets things

is a broader label for lacking intelligence rather than forgetfulness
addlehead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who is foolish and cannot think clearly

is the simpler label for lacking intelligence without muddle emphasis
saphead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who acts like a fool and makes poor decisions

is a general word for being unintelligent rather than poor judgment
hoghead
vsdunderhead
  • Offensive
9.9

An insulting word for a rude or stupid person

is a neutral descriptor for lack of intelligence without coarseness

Antonyms

142 3.8

A person who has deep ideas about important subjects

How Foolish

idiot
  • Offensive
1.2
moron
  • Slur
483 8.1
dunderhead
  • Offensive
3 9.1
fool
  • Offensive
1.4
simpleton
  • Offensive
21 7.3

Surface Forms

dunderhead singular
dunderheads plural

Morphology

dunderhead = dunder + head (semi-transparent) = dunder + head

The compound structure 'X + head' clearly marks a person characterised by X, but 'dunder' is dialectal/rare and may be unknown to many learners, so full meaning is not reliably deducible.

Etymology

The word dunderhead comes from two parts: dunder, an old playful insult, and head, meaning a person. So think of a dunderhead as someone with a silly head — that's why it means 'an unintelligent or foolish person'.