dumb

[ duhm ]

/ dʌm /

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See synonyms for: dumb / dumber / dumbest / dumbly on Thesaurus.com

adjective, dumb·er, dumb·est.

lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted.

lacking the power of speech (offensive when applied to humans): a dumb animal.

temporarily unable to speak: dumb with astonishment.

refraining from any or much speech; silent.

made, done, etc., without speech.

lacking some usual property, characteristic, etc.

performed in pantomime; mimed.

Computers. pertaining to the inability to do processing locally: A dumb terminal can input, output, and display data, but cannot process it.Compare intelligent (def. 4).

Nautical.

(of a barge) without means of propulsion.
(of any craft) without means of propulsion, steering, or signaling.

Verb Phrases

dumb down, Informal. to make or become less intellectual, simpler, or less sophisticated: to dumb down a textbook; American movies have dumbed down.

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 dumb

First recorded before 1000; Old English; cognate with Old Norse dumbr, Gothic dumbs, Old Saxon dumb, Old High German tump, German dumm

usage note for dumb

Dumb in the sense “lacking the power of speech” is perceived as insulting when describing humans (but not animals), probably because dumb also means “stupid; dull-witted.” The noun dummy in the sense “person who lacks the power of speech” is also perceived as insulting, as are the terms deaf-and-dumb, deaf-mute, and mute. The adjective hard of hearing is acceptable though not the term of choice, partly because it lacks directness. The preferred term is deaf, which makes no reference to an inability to speak or communicate; the capitalized word Deaf signals membership in this community.

OTHER WORDS FROM dumb

dumb·ly, adverbdumb·ness, nounqua·si-dumb, adjectivequa·si-dumb·ly, adverb

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

How to use dumb in a sentence

I mean on one end, you’ve got systems which, you know, can do many of the things that narrow AI or dumb AI, if you like can do today, but sort of all at once.
Podcast: Can you teach a machine common sense?|Anthony Green|November 11, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Chen makes an important point that many obvious ideas in tech started as dumb ideas.
Respect the hustle, not the stupidity|Danny Crichton|October 22, 2020|TechCrunch
Let’s stop doing dumb stuff like this and embrace proven strategies like permanent supportive housing that will solve San Diego’s homelessness crisis.
Bry Has a Different Take on Another Downtown Building Debacle|Lisa Halverstadt|October 7, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Many Bitcoin owners have adopted a “Play dumb and hope for the best” strategy when it comes to taxes.
The IRS is adding a cryptocurrency question to Form 1040 for 2020|Jeff|September 28, 2020|Fortune

A version of this article appears in the October 2020 issue of Fortune with the headline “What makes artificial intelligence look dumb.”
How to make A.I. smarter|jonathanvanian2015|September 21, 2020|Fortune
I dumbly mentioned it and it was obviously done in a joking manner, but everyone was like, “So, did you collect on the bet?”
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on ‘22 Jump Street,’ Penis Kissing, and Julie Andrews’s Boobs|Kevin Fallon|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He left her without a word or a backward look towards the seat where she sat dumbly weeping.
The Rake's Progress|Marjorie Bowen
She made a little gesture, as if she dumbly answered some futile question, and her hands dropped idly into her lap.
The Hidden Places|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Frequently she looked into his face with a plea dumbly eloquent, but did not again put her fear for him into words.
The Flockmaster of Poison Creek|George W. Ogden
He sat staring at her dumbly, wondering if he were awake or dreaming.
The Fire People|Ray Cummings
She looked at him dumbly, unable to keep her lips from twitching.
Hidden Gold|Wilder Anthony

British Dictionary definitions for dumb

dumb

/ (dʌm) /

adjective

lacking the power to speak, either because of defects in the vocal organs or because of hereditary deafness

lacking the power of human speechdumb animals

temporarily lacking or bereft of the power to speakstruck dumb

refraining from speech; uncommunicative

producing no sound; silenta dumb piano

made, done, or performed without speech

informal

slow to understand; dim-witted
foolish; stupidSee also dumb down

(of a projectile or bomb) not guided to its target

Derived forms of dumb

dumbly, adverbdumbness, noun

Word Origin for dumb

Old English; related to Old Norse dumbr, Gothic dumbs, Old High German tump

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

dumb

Origin of dumb

usage note for dumb

OTHER WORDS FROM dumb

Words related to dumb

How to use dumb in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dumb

Derived forms of dumb

Word Origin for dumb