half-witted

1
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily the young genius mastered calculus while his peers, who seemed half-witted in comparison, labored over basic addition and subtraction

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-witted
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
  • Controllable pitching is hard to come by in the big leagues, and the Pirates would be foolish to trade him away after signing him to a big contract.
    Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
  • Any in-depth evaluation would be foolish until Monday, when players don pads and the pass rush speeds McCarthy up even further.
    Alec Lewis, New York Times, 28 July 2025
Adjective
  • Mia promises not to ask for help or do anything stupid.
    Nick Caruso, TVLine, 1 Aug. 2025
  • If the producers manage to create another roof moment, Torin and his stupid little hats are cooked.
    Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • There were no costumes, no silly dances or hit parodies.
    Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer, 28 July 2025
  • That may sound silly to some, Foster said, but the work done by the Environmental Protection Agency in placing bands on birds and following the migration of bees informs officials about the impact of projects on the environment.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 July 2025
Adjective
  • As elevated mortgage rates continue to put a damper on the housing market locally and nationally, rising inventory, slower sales and lower prices have made for more favorable conditions for potential buyers in the Austin-area housing market.
    Shonda Novak, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Progress toward the opening of the micro-home village has been slow following a ceremonial groundbreaking held in July 2023.
    Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 30 July 2025
Adjective
  • From the vantage point of 2025, this appears as absurd as suggesting that women’s soccer matches should be 70 minutes instead of 90, the same as in the men’s game.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 12 July 2025
  • The French super powerhouse has taken teams part since winning the UEFA Champions League crown on May 24, outscoring its foes by an absurd 21-1 margin.
    Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
Adjective
  • Looking for their environmental DNA in scales, slime or skin cells that living beings shed all the time is a simpler way, Workman said.
    Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
  • Part of Trump’s electoral successes have been cemented on his ability to deliver very simple political promises.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • Marketing and advertising have undergone a similar shift from mad men to math men.
    Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
  • People are very, very confused, and some people are very disappointed and mad.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 July 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Half-witted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-witted. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

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