unintelligent

[ uhn-in-tel-i-juhnt ]

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.

unintelligent

/ ˌʌnɪnˈtɛlɪdʒənt /

adjective

1. lacking intelligence; stupid; foolish
2. not endowed with a mind or intelligence

Confusables Note

See stupid ( def ).

Derived Forms

• ˌuninˈtelligence, noun
• ˌuninˈtelligently, adverb

Other Words From

• un·in·tel·li·gence noun
• un·in·tel·li·gent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unintelligent¹

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

Example Sentences

Vacillating and unintelligent, his actions were all guided by his mistress, Mme Bonnemain.

From The Daily Beast

Jones's rather unintelligent maid had been standing by my side the whole time.

From Project Gutenberg

To effect this, Intelligence would, so to speak, have to render itself unintelligent.

From Project Gutenberg

They take the air of superior persons, and the penalty of the superior person is to be unintelligent.

From Project Gutenberg

I feel indignant at such a triumph of mere external unintelligent beauty.'

From Project Gutenberg

This is absurd, for it would mean that an unintelligent dead thing is the cause of intelligence and life in the universe.

From Project Gutenberg