1
as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment
his astounding feats of witlessness are the stuff of family legend
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thickness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind
for sheer witlessness the movie's dialogue deserves some sort of award
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of witlessness
No, but the line captures the aristocracy’s witlessness.
—
Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witlessness
Noun
-
The film features a slew of genuine performances, which power up the violent insanity into something at once sensational and dramatic.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The worship of greatness leads, at best, to disillusionment and, at worst, to the insanity unleashed by the Wagnerian Hitler.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Lightly roll dough to 3/4-inch thickness.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Women tend to reach peak hair thickness around age 40, and about 38% of women over 50 experience noticeable thinning, according to UCLA Health.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Our March madness this year comes with a record-breaking Colorado heat wave that will send top temperatures near and above 80 degrees by the middle of the week.—
Dave Aguilera,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The Lodge, while crowded, can be a nice respite from the madness of SXSW if arrive early in the day.—
Deborah Sengupta Stith,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Rather than sugary simplicity, today’s fruity scents lean layered and nuanced.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Where the original thrived in its simplicity, most of the expansions this sequel makes feel like clutter and take away from the strong core character.—
Chase Hutchinson,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Any who show up are declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Feb. 2026
-
As to the famous fine line between stupid and clever, the stupidity and the cleverness are all but inextricable, and to the point.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Outside of moments like this, however, such playful absurdity is often absent.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
13 Mar. 2026
-
This is not Margot Robbie eating a giant strawberry in Wuthering Heights, a choice that aims for delightful absurdity but ultimately feels mannered.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Compare that to punk rock, which used dumbness as a tactic.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There was no foolishness tolerated from him and, of course, Magic, his lieutenant.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Don’t be afraid of the foolishness.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Witlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witlessness. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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