unintelligent

American  

[uhn-in-tel-i-juhnt] / ˌʌn ɪnˈtɛl ɪ dʒənt /

adjective

1. deficient in intelligence; dull; stupid.

   Even the most unintelligent intern knew how to operate this copy machine.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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unintelligent British  

/ ˌʌnɪnˈtɛlɪdʒənt /

adjective

1. lacking intelligence; stupid; foolish

2. not endowed with a mind or intelligence

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Commonly Confused

See stupid ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

• unintelligence noun
• unintelligently adverb

Etymology

Origin of unintelligent

First recorded in 1600–10; un- ¹ + intelligent

Explanation

Unintelligent means exactly what it sounds like it means––not intelligent, not smart. Your unintelligent dog might not know his own name, but you love him for his goofy sweetness anyway. Don't confuse unintelligent with unintelligible. Unintelligible means something that can't be understood. Some doctors have handwriting so messy as to be considered unintelligible, but that doesn't mean they're unintelligent. If your cell phone signal is weak, you might find that what your mom is telling you on the phone becomes unintelligible to you — but that doesn't make you unintelligent.

Example Sentences

To be clear, this doesn’t mean coming across as unintelligent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Just because entertainment is mindless, or an escape from whatever reality is outside the movie theater, doesn’t mean that it also has to be unintelligent, or treat its audience like they don’t deserve better.

From Salon • Jul. 7, 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

“You are, I gather, not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Close-minded.”

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling