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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
had the half-witted idea to try to swim across the raging river, and would have drowned if someone hadn't rescued him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-witted
Adjective
-
Napier got a one-year honeymoon until a Week 1 loss at Utah in 2023, the year when the Gators committed a silly amount of dumb penalties (including the original instance of two guys wearing the same jersey).—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025 -
The reigning Super Bowl champs better hope that’s the dumbest thing that one of their players does this season.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The pattern of blaming star players, whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Marcus Rashford, is looking foolish, and the side has plummeted in form.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
That’s penny wise, not pour foolish.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And when Sam cooks up a truly stupid scheme to make some quick cash, there’s little doubt a heavy like Mickey isn’t going to like it.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
12 Sep. 2025
-
There's a fine line between stupid and clever, indeed.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Mea Culpa is Perry at his most knowingly silly, and a throwback to erotic thrillers of decades past.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
-
For every community of mass-shooter fandoms, there is another that is silly, joyous, productive, or totally harmless.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During the prelims in Tokyo, Seville had a concerning slow reaction to the starting gun.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Parisian servers may have an undeserved reputation for being slow, but instead of complaining or searching for faster service elsewhere, settle in with a book or newspaper.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Larsen makes Didi’s absurd actions feel credible, something a woman frustrated with her own life would do, in haste, on behalf of another.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Tim Dollar, a Kansas City attorney who represented the family of one of Biscari’s crash victims, said the union’s argument that Biscari was disciplined unfairly compared to other firefighters was absurd.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Their simple plan goes awry when one of their relatives wants a posh Korean wedding banquet in the heartfelt romantic comedy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The inspiration The Copleys wanted a low-water garden that would be simple to care for.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Awards are both mad and lovely.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
-
And of course, mad love and respect to Adam Yauch, Oscilloscope’s co-founder, filmmaker and Beastie Boy forever.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Sep. 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.
Cite this Entry
“Half-witted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-witted. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share