half-witted
AmericanOther Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of half-witted
First recorded in 1635–45
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.
Third, the whole idea is malarkey—a half-witted distortion of fairly conventional deterrence theory.
From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2026
"I found it amazing, literally, that people could be so half-witted as to share that video. I don't suppose these forum members have such thoughts in respect to their own family members."
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2025
Blogger Kevin Drum calls it “the latest half-witted workplace meme.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2022
She is shrewd enough to wheel and deal with half-witted intelligence officers but otherwise seems unexceptional.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 5, 2018
Her mind was so nimble and she was so quick to learn that her ability should have been obvious even to the most half-witted of parents.
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
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.
