dumb

American  

[duhm] / dʌm /

adjective

• dumber,
  comparative
• dumbest
  superlative

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

2. lacking the power of speech (offensive when applied to humans).

   a dumb animal.

3. temporarily unable to speak.

   dumb with astonishment.

4. refraining from any or much speech; silent.

5. made, done, etc., without speech.

6. lacking some usual property, characteristic, etc.

7. performed in pantomime; mimed.

8. Computers. pertaining to the inability to do processing locally.

   A dumb terminal can input, output, and display data, but cannot process it.

9. Nautical.

   1. (of a barge) without means of propulsion.

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

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verb phrase

1. dumb down to make or become less intellectual, simpler, or less sophisticated.

   to dumb down a textbook; American movies have dumbed down.

dumb British  

/ dʌm /

adjective

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

2. lacking the power of human speech

   dumb animals

3. temporarily lacking or bereft of the power to speak

   struck dumb

4. refraining from speech; uncommunicative

5. producing no sound; silent

   a dumb piano

6. made, done, or performed without speech

7. informal

   1. slow to understand; dim-witted

   2. foolish; stupid See also dumb down

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

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Sensitivity

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 Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dumbness
  noun
• quasi-dumb
  adjective
• dumbly
  adverb
• quasi-dumbly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• dumber
  comparative
• dumbest
  superlative

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Etymology

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

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Explanation

Today, most of the time someone or something is described as dumb when it shows a lack of thought, like your dumb idea of wearing flip-flops in a snowstorm. Dumb is the Old English word that means "mute, speechless," and itself came from an even older word dheubh meaning "confusion, stupefaction, dizziness." Today, dumb still means "unable to speak," but it doesn't have anything to do with intelligence. Its other meaning, however, does. If you make a dumb mistake, it's something you could have avoided if you thought it through first.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dumb dumber dumbest

“You would instead concede that dogs are unpredictable, so it was dumb to attach something dangerous to one.”

From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026

“But I was in the studio, and I was just like, ‘This is so dumb — this is not true.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The dumb conscripts are given instant gratification and money.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

But dumb isn’t the condemnation that remark deserved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

It seemed so dumb to stand around wondering about how somebody got the way she was.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Advertising student Catalina Cruz, 19, thinks AI is "making us dumber" because "people aren't able to think for themselves any more".

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Any citizen who steps out of line risks the ire of an even dumber police force, riding around in cruisers that lift their design language from Ed Hardy clothing.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

Each day we live through this era, we get vastly dumber.

From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2026

An interesting research question for future generations of economics doctoral students would be whether publishing quarterly forecasts actually makes the Fed dumber.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

The little kids didn’t pay me much mind but to laugh at me for being dumber than a sheep.

From "Worth" by A. LaFaye

“I might think this is like the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Rahmani said in his opinion, Davis would "go down as one of the world's dumbest criminals", who likely would have never have faced charges if he had stayed silent.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Collectively, they stand as a blunt reminder that war, the dumbest and most vicious human invention, occurs in time and space.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

The dumbest phrase in military history is Adolf Hitler saying “Let’s attack Russia in the winter.”

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

“He’s maybe the dumbest person I’ve ever met.”

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

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Related Words

• dull
• foolish

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