nincompoop

[ nin-kuh m-poop, ning- ]

/ ˈnɪn kəmˌpup, ˈnɪŋ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nincompoop ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a fool or simpleton.

Nearby words

nimrud, nimwegen, nimzowitsch, nin, nina, nincompoop, nine, nine ball, nine days' wonder, nine plus two array, nine plus zero array

Origin of nincompoop

First recorded in 1670–80; origin uncertain

Related forms

nin·com·poop·er·y, nounnin·com·poop·ish, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nincompoop

The man's voice was full of contempt for the nincompoop who couldn't use his head.
The Riddle of the Frozen Flame|Mary E. Hanshew
That young Welsh nincompoop imp has his eyes everywhere; his ears are always open.
The Cambrian Sketch-Book|R. Rice Davies
When ye hear of a man a woman hez made, ye hears of a nincompoop.
Jeff Briggs's Love Story|Bret Harte
And now because a monstrous piece of good luck has made a Crichton of him, you begin to regret the nincompoop!
Archibald Malmaison|Julian Hawthorne

And I won't have it spoiled, by every nincompoop poking his nose into it.
Perlycross|R. D. Blackmore

British Dictionary definitions for nincompoop

nincompoop

/ (ˈnɪnkəmˌpuːp, ˈnɪŋ-) /

noun

a stupid person; fool; idiot

Word Origin for nincompoop

C17: of unknown origin

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