lunkheaded

1 9.8

Being very foolish and clumsy in how someone thinks or acts

adjective
/ˈlʌŋkˌhɛdɪd/

Offensive

: tonto

The undeniable nadir of Bond's career, wherein 007 faces his deadliest enemies: lunkheaded screenwriting and cheesy "Star Wars" knockoffs.

Examples

You stupid, lunkheaded-- -

The Rescuers (1977)
All about Roger roaming 1920s America, doing odd jobs and breaking hearts with his own brand of lunkheaded small.

Blog text (34)
Last time we ventured here, we found a bunch of lunkheaded post-grunge bullshit; this month's songs are downright cuddly by comparison.

Blog text (9)
His lunkheaded decision to skip school led to serious consequences later.
She made a lunkheaded comment that left everyone in the room confused.
Despite his lunkheaded attempts to impress her, she remained uninterested.

Synonyms

brainless

vslunkheaded

Offensive

24 3.5

Very stupid and not using common sense

adds physical clumsiness or awkward behavior as part of the idea

boneheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

7 8.0

Very stupid and not thinking clearly

is similar but often includes awkward physical clumsiness too

empty-headed

vslunkheaded

Offensive

5 6.3

Silly, not very intelligent and not serious

is harsher and includes clumsy or stupid behaviour rather than lightness

thickheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

4 7.9

Slow to understand simple ideas or instructions

also covers awkward or ungainly behaviour not only slow thinking

braindead

vslunkheaded

Offensive

2 7.3

Very stupid and showing little thought

adds clumsy, ungainly physical behaviour beyond mere mental emptiness

knuckleheaded

vslunkheaded

Informal

1 8.4

Acting in a silly, thoughtless way

is similar but can imply heavier clumsiness and blunt action

blockheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 8.3

Not able to think clearly or make good decisions

is broader, adding awkward or clumsy behaviour as well as foolishness

airheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 7.9

Not thinking carefully and often acting silly

is rougher, adding stupid or clumsy physical actions to the idea

dunderheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 7.9

Being very foolish and showing poor judgment

often adds visible clumsiness or ungainly behaviour to the idea

lamebrained

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 8.4

Very silly and not showing good sense

adds a stronger sense of physical awkwardness beyond mere silliness

pinheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 7.1

Very foolish and often making bad choices

is broader, often including physical clumsiness or foolish acts

fatheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 8.8

Not very smart or sensible

is similar but may also suggest clumsy behaviour rather than just dumbness

wooden-headed

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 8.9

Slow to understand or learn things

is rougher and often tied to clumsy or awkward behavior

crackbrained

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 9.9

Very foolish and not sensible or responsible

is more about crude foolishness and clumsy behaviour than mere impracticality

flea-brained

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 9.8

Being very silly and not serious

is harsher and can include clumsy or more serious foolishness

ass-brained

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 9.9

Very foolish and acting without thinking

is similar but often also implies awkward or clumsy motion

muddleheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 9.1

Confused and unable to think clearly

is less about confusion and more about clumsy foolishness

cloddish

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 9.5

Acting awkward and not very clever or polite

adds stronger clumsiness and crude foolishness rather than only awkwardness

lightheaded

vslunkheaded

Informal

1 5.6

Not serious or sensible and often acting silly

is stronger and often describes actual clumsy or stupid acts

dumb as a doornail

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 8.9

Very foolish or not showing any reaction

includes that extreme foolishness plus clumsy or awkward behaviour

light-headed

vslunkheaded

Informal

1 5.0

Being silly and not serious in behavior

is more negative and can include real clumsiness or stupidity

featherheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

1 8.1

Too silly and not careful about important things

is more insulting and includes awkward physical behaviour as well

loggerheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

9.9

Showing very little intelligence or common sense

adds awkward or clumsy conduct in addition to poor sense

puddingheaded

vslunkheaded

Offensive

9.9

Silly and confused in the way someone thinks

is more bluntly foolish and may include awkward behaviour

Antonyms

smart

∞ 1.9

Shows quick thinking and good understanding

clever

549 1.7

Understands things quickly and finds smart solutions

intelligent

548 3.4

Able to think, understand, and learn new things

How Foolish

idiotic

Offensive

103 4.4

lunkheaded

Offensive

1 9.8

stupid

Offensive

∞ 1.0

foolish

383 1.3

silly

944 1.0

Surface Forms

lunkheaded positive

Morphology

lunkheaded = lunkhead (transparent) = lunk + head + ed

Formed from the noun 'lunkhead' with the adjectival suffix '-ed', meaning 'having the qualities of a lunkhead', which is a straightforward derivation.

Etymology

Lunkheaded comes from lunk — a word for a big, slow, clumsy person — and -headed meaning 'having the head of'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine someone with the head of a clumsy giant, so lunkheaded means very foolish or awkward.