Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for blockhead. Search instead for Blockheadism.
Synonyms

blockhead

American  
[blok-hed] / ˈblɒkˌhɛd /

noun

  1. a stupid, doltish person; dunce.

    Synonyms:
    booby, ignoramus, dullard, dolt, nitwit, fool

  2. Obsolete. a piece of wood in the shape of a head, used as a block for hats or wigs.

blockhead British  
/ ˈblɒkˌhɛd /

noun

  1. derogatory a stupid person

"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

Other Word Forms

  • blockheaded adjective
  • blockheadedly adverb
  • blockheadedness noun
  • blockheadism noun

Etymology

Origin of blockhead

First recorded in 1540–50; block + head

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.

He, like so many police officers we’ve seen, is a complete blockhead.

From Salon • Aug. 1, 2025

Peter Robbins, the former child actor who first put a voice to Charles Schultz’s lovable "blockhead" Charlie Brown has died, according to reports.

From Fox News • Jan. 26, 2022

It’s of recent coinage, a portmanteau of “pandemic” and “pendejo,” the Mexican Spanish term for a blockhead.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2020

I can imagine a blockhead studio executive complaining that there’s no reason to care about any of this trivia, yet somehow, miraculously, the series goes on.

From Slate • Aug. 16, 2019

So I hope he's got me down as a superstitious military blockhead.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

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.