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halfwit

British  
/ ˈhɑːfˌwɪt /

noun

  1. a feeble-minded person

  2. a foolish or inane person

"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

Other Word Forms

  • halfwitted adjective
  • halfwittedly adverb
  • halfwittedness noun

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.

This is partly thanks to Alec Baldwin’s parody of the president as an irascible halfwit.

From Economist • Feb. 9, 2017

Bertie did badly at lessons and his parents considered him a halfwit.

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2013

The accent Mr. Easton had absorbed in Texas was confining him, as he told Newsday in 1989, to roles of the “dopey deputy and halfwit hayseed” variety.

From New York Times • Dec. 24, 2011

Meanwhile, Nick breaks the awkward silence with Madge concerning her current plight, and a not very plausible ginger-haired halfwit continues to pursue the ladies.

From The Guardian • Mar. 4, 2011

"By Caesar," Braun said in despair, "I have an idea you'll get the vote of every halfwit in the country."

From The Common Man by Schelling, George Luther