nitwit
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of nitwit
First recorded in 1920–25; nit (from German; dialectal variant of nicht “not”) + wit 1 (in the sense of “intelligence”)
Explanation
A nitwit is a foolish person. If you bake a cake and stir a cup of salt into the batter instead of sugar, your brother will probably call you a nitwit. It's not nice to call someone a nitwit, but it's hard to resist when people do things that are outrageously incompetent or ridiculous. It's pretty common to refer to entire groups of people as nitwits, like politicians or fans of a rival sports team. The word comes from nit, "nothing" in dialectical Yiddish, and wit, "sense or intelligence."
Vocabulary lists containing nitwit
The Midwife's Apprentice
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Silver Arrow
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
Nitwit Ernest bails out Santa Claus who is in Florida on a deadline to recruit a new Santa.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2019
Lennie says the construction of no weapon developed by the Space Department has ever been released; making it plain that anyone but a Nitwit knows that already.
From The Lost Kafoozalum by Ashwell, Pauline
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.
