as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
you're not unintelligent, so you must just be stubbornly resisting all attempts to teach you something
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unintelligent
And not because people are unintelligent — quite the opposite.
—
Jj Rosen, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Nov. 2025
The life of an unattractive and unintelligent young woman living in a dreary backwater in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
—New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The 32-year-old says she’s always been naturally curious, but as a child, school often left her feeling anxious and unintelligent.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent.
—Daniel Burke, NPR, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintelligent
Jj Rosen, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Nov. 2025
The life of an unattractive and unintelligent young woman living in a dreary backwater in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
—New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The 32-year-old says she’s always been naturally curious, but as a child, school often left her feeling anxious and unintelligent.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent.
—Daniel Burke, NPR, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintelligent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintelligent
Adjective
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In fact, one of my chief complaints about some contemporary thrillers is the feeling that characters are required to do dumb stuff by the unseen hand of the author, just so more crazy twists can happen.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
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But Williamson isn’t usually dumb.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Directed by Nicolas Athane and Marco Nguyen, Jim Queen is a crass, profane, giddily stupid romp through a heap of stereotypes about gay life in Paris.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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For the record, those students are not stupid.—
Hope Loudon,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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Pool service can be a bit slow during busy times, but once your perfectly prepared daiquiri arrives, all is forgiven.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
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So future agreements could involve cooler normalisation, selective security cooperation, quieter diplomacy and a slower expansion.—
Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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While the simple Deluxe Room is ideal for a quick overnight trip, guests looking for a longer stay should spread out in the Junior Suite with Living & Dining Area, which opens onto a semi-private stone patio with a bocce court and a firepit in the warmer months.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
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Huxley might easily have written a simpler novel glorifying intellectuals while mocking Stoyte’s greed and indifference to suffering.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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But even for someone like myself, totally ignorant to the lore and not really seeking to change that, the Star Wars universe can look genuinely interesting, and some games every now and then manage to tap into that potential.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
30 Apr. 2026
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Jahmil Eady – Freaky As gentrifiers take over her neighborhood, a Gullah Geechee woman, Annabelle (Melanie Nicholls-King) calls on ancestral knowledge, which has dire consequences for the newcomers who have begun to take over the land, ignorant of its history.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Pantelleria Closer to Tunisia than mainland Italy, Pantelleria is a remote volcanic island dotted with traditional dammusi, thick-walled, domed stone dwellings built to keep out the heat.—
Nicky Swallow,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
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Rodriguez Singh appeared behind the thick visitation glass, just feet away, seemingly prepared to talk.—
Doug Dunbar,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unintelligent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintelligent. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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