dingbat

American  

[ding-bat] / ˈdɪŋˌbæt /

noun

1. Slang. an eccentric, silly, or empty-headed person.

2. dingus.

3. Printing. an ornamental piece of type for borders, separators, decorations, etc.

4. an object, as a brick, serving as a missile.

---

dingbat British  

/ ˈdɪŋˌbæt /

noun

1. any unnamed object, esp one used as a missile

2. a crazy or stupid person

---

Etymology

Origin of dingbat

First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Explanation

A dingbat is an idiot: a person who's dumb, silly, or just empty-headed. There are a lot of insulting words for someone who isn't very smart: moron, dummy, knucklehead, bonehead, etc. Another is dingbat. A dingbat isn't simply dumb, but also ditzy. On the sitcom “All in the Family,” Archie Bunker often called his wife Edith a dingbat. This is an insult, but it's humorous and not that offensive. Dingbats are also characters or ornaments used in typesetting that don't have any meaning. Those dingbats are also a little silly.

Example Sentences

Orthodox families fill the area’s dingbat apartments, duplexes and bungalows, and thousands jam the sidewalks Saturday mornings on their way to Torah services.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2023

Everything about the show is more confident – the physical comedy is goofier, Devi's dingbat logic is more outlandish, and McEnroe's narration easily flows with the action.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2021

She achieved a reluctant fame from the air disaster, thanks to a cheesy Italian biopic in 1974, “Miracles Still Happen,” in which the teenage Dr. Diller is portrayed as a hysterical dingbat.

From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2021

I mean this more in terms of “if you call them a dingbat, they won’t remember” and not “why bother making sure they feel firmly attached to their caregivers.”

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2019

I know, grandpa—but she's such a funny little dingbat!

From Missy by Gatlin, Dana