as in stupid
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily it seems like she's always doing some brain-dead thing or another

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brain-dead In fact, in the case of a woman in Georgia who is brain-dead but being kept alive to carry her fetus to term, despite her family’s protests, real life is mirroring the show with eerie accuracy. Sam Reed, Glamour, 20 May 2025 Afterward, transplants involving brain-dead donors became more common, vastly expanding the pool of available organs. Nadia Kounang, CNN Money, 17 May 2025 Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, was about two months pregnant on Feb. 19 when she was declared brain-dead, according to an online fundraising page started by her mother. Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025 Others are the heaviest of the heavy: a college student rendered brain-dead by a fentanyl overdose, a little girl who fatally drowns while saving her sister who fell into their swimming pool. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for brain-dead
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brain-dead
Adjective
  • Camp, stupid, joyful—to both own and access—Labubu has taken over.
    Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 31 May 2025
  • This is just stupid how successful this is, but that’s really underselling it.
    Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.
    Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 July 2017
  • Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.
    Andy Benoit, The MMQB, 10 July 2017
Adjective
  • Strain into a highball glass, while simultaneously adding the club soda together in one slow stream to achieve the fluffy, towering fizz.
    Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • And while the Canadian industry made early gains to close a gender gap in the film and TV industry, making strides in advancing and promoting talent from underrepresented Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities has been slower and more incremental.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • Ahead of the most important game of the year, Luke Esquivel said the key to a strong performance will be simple.
    Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2025
  • The way to peace is simple: get Hamas out and get aid in.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • In her papers, there were thick scrapbooks of Christmas cards, many from fellow-celebrities—Berg clearly adored Christmas.
    Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
  • Jane is heard asking the male escort to wear a condom, but is interrupted by Combs, whose voice appears thick and slurred, as music pulsed in the background.
    Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Brain-dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brain-dead. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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