blockhead

[blok-hed]

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noun

a stupid, doltish person; dunce.
Obsolete. a piece of wood in the shape of a head, used as a block for hats or wigs.

Origin of blockhead

First recorded in 1540–50; block + head

Related formsblock·head·ed, adjectiveblock·head·ed·ly, adverbblock·head·ed·ness, nounblock·head·ism, noun

Synonyms for blockhead

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1. fool, nitwit, dolt, dullard, ignoramus, booby.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for blockhead

bonehead, fool, screwball, jackass, dunce, oaf, idiot, ninny, bust, tomfool, simpleton, noodle, chump, moron, nincompoop, numskull, dolt, knucklehead, halfwit, hardhead

Examples from the Web for blockhead

Historical Examples of blockhead

She, her unicorn, and her blockhead, were out of sight in a few minutes.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
It was that he was a blockhead, and had no idea of the absurdity that he was committing.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 364, February 1846
Various
Yes, it's for that;—I remember he said you call'd him a blockhead.
The Politician Out-Witted
Samuel Low
Simply because a man lives in the country it does not follow that he is a blockhead.
The Rise of Roscoe Paine
Joseph C. Lincoln
God grant that you may not be the only man that doesn't think me a blockhead!
Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. II (of II)
Edmund Downey

British Dictionary definitions for blockhead

blockhead

noun

derogatory a stupid person

Derived Formsblockheaded, adjectiveblockheadedly, adverbblockheadedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for blockhead

also block-head, "stupid person," 1540s (implied in blockheaded), from block (n.) + head (n.); probably originally an image of the head-shaped oaken block used by hat-makers, though the insulting sense is the older one.