witless

[ wit-lis ]

/ ˈwɪt lɪs /

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See synonyms for: witless / witlessly / witlessness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

lacking wit or intelligence; stupid; foolish.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of witless

before 1000; Middle English; Old English witlēas.See wit¹, -less

OTHER WORDS FROM witless

wit·less·ly, adverbwit·less·ness, noun

Words nearby witless

with the gloves off, tongue in cheek, with, withy, withywind, witigo, witless, witling, witloof, witness, witness-box, witness corner

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use witless in a sentence

At its most pejorative, the term describes a uniquely disposable kind of young gay man: Hairless, guileless, witless.
Inside Hollywood’s ‘Twink’ Pool Parties|Scott Bixby|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because these questions are never addressed, the characters seem witless, flat, and mean.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Sept. 2, 2013|Damaris Colhoun|September 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sorry, but the endless apologies from hapless celebrities and witless pundits add up to a big zero.
Our Insincere, Pointless Cult of Apology|Michael Moynihan|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Norns' decree thou wilt hold in contempt as from a witless wight: In water thou shalt be drowned, if in wind thou rowest.
The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson|Saemund Sigfusson and Snorre Sturleson

Dost thou deem me so witless as not to know that if she had sent thee hither thou wouldst not have come in this plight?
The Water of the Wondrous Isles|William Morris
But sure, we might have writ a letter about ye an' carried it out to Witless Bay.
The Harbor Master|Theodore Goodridge Roberts
Any little accident might do it if they knew that he was on his way to Witless Bay.
The Harbor Master|Theodore Goodridge Roberts
From the witless, nameless unit of a whaler's crew he had at last arisen to a fresh identity.
Port O' Gold|Louis John Stellman

British Dictionary definitions for witless

witless

/ (ˈwɪtlɪs) /

adjective

lacking wit, intelligence, or sense; stupid

Derived forms of witless

witlessly, adverbwitlessness, noun

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

witless

Origin of witless

OTHER WORDS FROM witless

Words nearby witless

Words related to witless

How to use witless in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for witless

Derived forms of witless