clueless
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of clueless
Explanation
Someone is clueless if they have no idea what's happening. The unsuspecting victim of a practical joke is usually clueless right up until everyone starts laughing. You could reassure your brother that your mom has no idea you're planning a surprise party by saying, "Don't worry, she's totally clueless." Or you might worry that your friend failed the big geometry test, based on the clueless expression on his face during the exam. In the 1860s, clueless meant "leaving no clues behind," but by 1943 it gained its current meaning, which became even more popular as student slang in the 1980s.
Vocabulary lists containing clueless
"Two Left Feet, Two Left Hands, and Too Left on the Bench"
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Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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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.
Banks are used to working with the surviving relatives, including those who are clueless or casually dressed.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
Greg, clueless about just how politically incorrect he can be without even trying, gets chastised several times, though the circumstances are deliberately exaggerated.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
“I understand you don’t want to be rescuing the many clueless who wander up there. There needs to be a better system.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
Head coach Stephane Auvray, 44, admits some were "a little clueless and naive" about the demands.
From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026
Okay, maybe he’s just as clueless as the rest of us.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
