unintelligent
Americanadjective
-
deficient in intelligence; dull; stupid.
Even the most unintelligent intern knew how to operate this copy machine.
-
characterized by or proceeding from a lack of intelligence.
No one will respect you as long as you go around making unintelligent remarks like that.
-
not endowed with the ability to think or reason.
We should protect unintelligent life like trees and protozoa as well as intelligent life like humans and dolphins.
adjective
-
lacking intelligence; stupid; foolish
-
not endowed with a mind or intelligence
Commonly Confused
See stupid ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
- unintelligence noun
- unintelligently adverb
Etymology
Origin of unintelligent
First recorded in 1600–10; un- 1 + intelligent
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.
To be clear, this doesn’t mean coming across as unintelligent.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025
Granted, he said his team did some “dumb” stuff and he criticized them for, “egregiously unintelligent fouls,” but his usual anger was mostly muted.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2024
It can be easy to dismiss joining a cult as “not something I would do” or even as a downright unintelligent choice.
From Slate • May 5, 2023
But sometimes dolphins do some pretty unintelligent stuff, at least from a human perspective.
From Salon • Dec. 20, 2022
I sound so unintelligent and dimwitted when I write to you.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
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.
