clueless

[ kloo-lis ]

/ ˈklu lɪs /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for clueless on Thesaurus.com

adjective Informal.

ignorant, unaware, or uninformed: I remember thinking my mom was clueless when I was a teenager.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of clueless

First recorded in 1940–45; clue + -less

Words nearby clueless

cluck, clucky, clue, clued-up, clue in, clueless, Cluj, Cluj-Napoca, clumber spaniel, clump, clumsiness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clueless in a sentence

Pete Davidson as a clueless GameStop investor, host John Krasinski as Tom Brady and an exasperated Kate McKinnon — as herself.
SNL skewers Marjorie Taylor Greene, the vaccine rollout and GameStop, reminding us that things are still very bad|Bethonie Butler|January 31, 2021|Washington Post
Angry politicians threatening to hold hearings and clueless regulators promising to investigate.
GameStop mania exposes SEC’s failure as regulator|Steven Pearlstein|January 30, 2021|Washington Post
Finally, mainstream educators are portrayed as purveyors, or clueless victims, of conspiratorial resistance to scientific evidence.
Is there really a ‘science of reading’ that tells us exactly how to teach kids to read?|Valerie Strauss|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
Right now, our devices are mostly clueless about how we’re feeling or what we need.
New device tells smiles from frowns — even through a mask|Kathryn Hulick|December 4, 2020|Science News For Students

I’m a young man, and faced with this I am clueless about what to say or do.
He Ain’t Heavy. He’s a Child Molester.|Eugene Robinson|October 20, 2020|Ozy
They say it's frightening how the real CIA is perceived to be as clueless as Archer Co.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So my way to point out his cultural cluelessness is to be even more clueless?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Or as Azealia Banks would say, “I pray for this Clueless White Girl”.
Solange Smacks Jay Z, Legolas Slaps Bieber, and the Biggest Celebrity Feuds of the Year|Amy Zimmerman|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But if you say Screech or the guy from Clueless, who are people going to know?
'Saved by the Bell' Star Dustin Diamond Doesn't Want to Be a Jerk Anymore|Kevin Fallon|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just another example of clueless rich people peacocking, right?
The $10 Billion Pet Cheetah and Chimp Industry|Sharon Adarlo|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many minds, endeavoring to think through the mystifying problems of God's providence, find themselves in a clueless labyrinth.
The Meaning of Faith|Harry Emerson Fosdick
The red haired man was the mystery—a mystery which looked clueless.
'19,000'|Burford Delannoy
But if you're going to have a jailer, better a clueless one than one who's really on the ball.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
He was fumbling his way along this clueless labyrinth of suppositions when the clock struck twelve.
Crome Yellow|Aldous Huxley

British Dictionary definitions for clueless

clueless

/ (ˈkluːlɪs) /

adjective

slang helpless; stupid

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

clueless

Origin of clueless

Words nearby clueless

Words related to clueless

How to use clueless in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for clueless