dumb

[duhm]

adjective

dumber, dumbest 

1. lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted.

2. lacking the power of speech (offensive when applied to humans).

   a dumb animal.

3. temporarily unable to speak.

   dumb with astonishment.

4. refraining from any or much speech; silent.

5. made, done, etc., without speech.

6. lacking some usual property, characteristic, etc.

7. performed in pantomime; mimed.

8. Computers.,  pertaining to the inability to do processing locally.

   A dumb terminal can input, output, and display data, but cannot process it.

9. Nautical.

   1. (of a barge) without means of propulsion.

   2. (of any craft) without means of propulsion, steering, or signaling.

verb phrase

1. dumb down,  to make or become less intellectual, simpler, or less sophisticated.

   to dumb down a textbook; American movies have dumbed down.

dumb

/ dʌm /

adjective

1. lacking the power to speak, either because of defects in the vocal organs or because of hereditary deafness

2. lacking the power of human speech

   dumb animals

3. temporarily lacking or bereft of the power to speak

   struck dumb

4. refraining from speech; uncommunicative

5. producing no sound; silent

   a dumb piano

6. made, done, or performed without speech

7. informal

   1. slow to understand; dim-witted

   2. foolish; stupid See also dumb down

8. (of a projectile or bomb) not guided to its target

Sensitive Note

Dumb in the sense “lacking the power of speech” is perceived as insulting when describing humans (but not animals), probably because dumb also means “stupid; dull-witted.” The noun dummy in the sense “person who lacks the power of speech” is also perceived as insulting, as are the terms deaf-and-dumb, deaf-mute, and mute. The adjective hard of hearing is acceptable though not the term of choice, partly because it lacks directness. The preferred term is deaf, which makes no reference to an inability to speak or communicate; the capitalized word Deaf signals membership in this community.

Other Word Forms

• dumbly adverb
• dumbness noun
• quasi-dumb adjective
• quasi-dumbly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dumb¹

First recorded before 1000; Old English; cognate with Old Norse dumbr, Gothic dumbs, Old Saxon dumb, Old High German tump, German dumm

Word History and Origins

Origin of dumb¹

Old English; related to Old Norse dumbr, Gothic dumbs, Old High German tump

Example Sentences

If Boy Kavalier had ever been a boy, he might have recognized what a dumb move that was.

From Salon

“Maybe I was too dumb, I don’t know,” Russell said with a shrug.

From Los Angeles Times

The same goes for Halle Berry, whose dumb ex, former baseball player David Justice, recently went on a podcast and claimed he left her because the actress wasn’t sufficiently domesticated for his tastes.

From Salon

What is so striking to me, and what we have to remember, is that voters are not dumb, and they are also exceptionally busy.

From Salon

"The core ethos in Borderlands is that there's going to be a lot of shooting and a lot of dumb humour," she says.

From BBC

Related Words

• dull 
• foolish