gormless
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does gormless mean? Gormless is a slang word meaning stupid, dull, or clumsy.Gormless is typically applied to people (and sometimes their actions). It is chiefly used in the U.K.Example: I feel totally gormless whenever I make a silly mistake like that.
Etymology
Origin of gormless
First recorded in 1740–50; respelling of earlier gaumless, from Northern English and Scots dialect gaum “heed, attention” (from Old Norse gaumr ) + -less
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.
The Guardian described it as a "gormless lifestyle filler" while The Telegraph gave it two stars and branded it "insane" and an "exercise in narcissism".
From BBC
The Telegraph's Robbie Collin awarded it one star, calling it a "fatuously graphic" and "colossally gormless" series, adding that it contained the "worst dialogue" of the year.
From BBC
The Guardian's Stuart Heritage was less impressed by the performance, declaring it "gormless", "deeply and unsettlingly confusing" and "one of the all-time great berserk musical performances ever seen".
From BBC
Now, there are enough thoughtful screen examinations of racial politics along with normalized visions of inclusive casting to make "You People" stand out as a gormless throwback.
From Salon
I come from a town in France where people look you up and down when you enter a shop – even when you are 12 and gormless.
From The Guardian
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.