to feel dumb
3
6.0
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
sentirse tonto
- After making that mistake in front of the group, I couldn't help but feel dumb.
- make you feel dumb
So I always felt dumb because I felt dumb.
- So I always felt dumb because I felt dumb.
- But currently when I put them on, I feel dumb and a little fugly.
- But there was a time where even within myself, where I felt dumb.
- new emotional management skills, and new behaviors to match the level of success that you want to achieve. Because I felt dumb.
Examples
-
Are you trying to make the rest of us feel dumb?
-
Sometimes, I feel dumb for asking questions that seem obvious to everyone else.
-
l feel dumb for asking, but how did you hear about it?
-
You could have made us feel dumb, but you did not.
Academic text (1999) -
I feel dumb for not thinking of that.
Blog text (10) -
You can drop the act, Mickey, I feel dumb enough already, okay?
-
She realized then that she had not told him and felt dumb about that.
Fiction book (1992) -
I felt dumb for typing the question into Google, but now I'm glad I did.
Blog text (17) -
It was a prestigious place, but Smith felt dumb and small.
Fiction book (1994) -
He just looked at her, and she suddenly felt dumb for mentioning the spider.
Fiction book (2002)
Synonyms
9
6.0
To be embarrassed and silly because of something you did
1
9.9
To feel foolish and embarrassed about something you did
To think you are silly after making a mistake
To be foolish or embarrassed after making a mistake
To feel foolish because of something you did
To feel foolish or embarrassed because of a mistake
Act or seem foolish and unable to do something in a situation
To feel foolish after making a mistake
To feel very ashamed and worthless after doing something embarrassing
Antonyms
How Foolish
9
6.0
- Informal
3
6.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to experience a sense of foolishness' is directly and compositionally derived from 'feel' (to experience an emotion) combined with 'dumb' (lacking intelligence). This adjective-complement pattern is transparent and common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Feel dumb comes from the image of being dumb, suddenly quiet and embarrassed and unable to speak after making a mistake. So you 'feel foolish' or 'stupid' when you have that awkward, silent feeling.