chiefly British
as in stupid
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily a comedy show that invariably portrays the British aristocracy as a bunch of gormless twits

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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 gormless Much like bad prose, his gormless suits draw far too much attention to themselves. Hazlitt, 19 Dec. 2024 Much of the movie unfolds inside the suburban Connecticut mansion where Lily lives with her gormless mother (Francie Swift) and her loathsome stepdad. Justin Chang, latimes.com, 8 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gormless
Adjective
  • The premise itself is both deeply stupid and incredibly clever (the sweet spot, really).
    Erin Strecker, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
  • Some of the replies were the usual stupid snark on social media from people who thrive on being negative.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 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
  • Level 2 charging times with the Premium trim and its smaller 14.9 kWh battery are roughly the same thanks to a slower onboard charger (3 kW vs. 6 on the Ultimate).
    Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 11 Feb. 2025
  • After the fines in September, SpaceX sent a letter to Congress blasting AST for being too slow to keep up with the booming space industry.
    Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Its simple style can be dressed up with your best evening wear or paired with casual outfits to be your next wardrobe staple.
    Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Yellow is the simplest, and purple is the most difficult.
    New York Times Games, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Each new song escalated the tension, which eventually grew so thick that the rappers took mere hours to respond with a new attack.
    Scottie Andrew, CNN, 9 Feb. 2025
  • Add chicken; cook until light golden brown and a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of chicken registers 165°F, 2 to 4 minutes per side.
    Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • For a company known for its ingenuity, Disney seemed to phone it in this year by spending their precious millions on a dull ad that imagines a universe without their iconic IP.
    Rob LeDonne, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
  • The female is dull yellow-green without any markings.
    Stan Tekiela, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025

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Thesaurus Entries Near gormless

Cite this Entry

“Gormless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gormless. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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