dunderhead
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dunderhead
1615–25; apparently < Dutch dunder ( kop ) numbskull ( dunder thunder + kop head) + head
Explanation
A person who's not so smart might be called a dunderhead. If you manage to start a fire while attempting to fry an egg, your mom might call you a dunderhead. Dunderhead is a more colorful way to say "dummy" or "stupid." It's derogatory, but not the meanest word for someone making a really foolish move: "You dunderhead!" tends to sound a little bit amused. You might call a goofy kid a dunderhead, or call yourself a dunderhead when you make the same silly mistake over and over again. The origin isn't certain, though the dunder part may come from the Middle Dutch word donder, or "thunder."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It discovers, for instance, that the most eminent ministers, merchants, lawyers, and capitalists are very anxious to hear Dr. Dunderhead upon the history of chaos.
From From the Easy Chair, series 3 by Curtis, George William
And so Baron Von Dunderhead and his case were dismissed.
From St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, V. 5, Nov 1877-Nov 1878 Scribner's Illustrated by Dodge, Mary Mapes
Then, arising, she donned her best frock and neatest cap, and proceeded to the Castle Dunderhead.
From St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, V. 5, Nov 1877-Nov 1878 Scribner's Illustrated by Dodge, Mary Mapes
At present, Floatwell swore by Lord Dunderhead; and the game of this little coterie, who dined together and thought they were a party, was to be courteous to the Convention.
From Sybil, or the Two Nations by Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield
In fact there was one standing in the doorway with me, the son of a solicitor I knew at Dunderhead, who was in the office of his uncle, who was Lady Broadhem's solicitor.
From Piccadilly A Fragment of Contemporary Biography by Oliphant, Laurence
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
