1
as in stupid
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
a dog so witless that it is barely trainable
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2
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a witless decision to relocate to the other side of the country without even the prospect of a job
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Recent Examples of witless
Based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a classic send-up of King Arthur and his witless band of knights, this 2005 hit musical, which garnered a pre-Chez Diaz Sara Ramirez a Tony, will land at the St. James Theatre this fall.
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Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2023
Tottenham’s players volunteering to reimburse those fans who had made the long journey to Newcastle — only to see their hapless, witless team fall 5-0 behind after 21 minutes — for the price of their tickets is a gesture rooted in the very finest of intentions.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023
Our intolerable situation forces us to welcome such witless dolts to our side.
—Ana Marie Cox, The New Republic, 3 Apr. 2023
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is witless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for witless 
Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2023
Tottenham’s players volunteering to reimburse those fans who had made the long journey to Newcastle — only to see their hapless, witless team fall 5-0 behind after 21 minutes — for the price of their tickets is a gesture rooted in the very finest of intentions.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023
Our intolerable situation forces us to welcome such witless dolts to our side.
—Ana Marie Cox, The New Republic, 3 Apr. 2023
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is witless.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for witless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witless
Adjective
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Give yourself permission to go see a truly stupid movie.Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US, theweek, 8 Nov. 2024
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Among the show’s many, many, many Twilight Zone spoofs, this one is the funniest and the best, with a conclusion that’s equal parts brilliant and stupid.Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The authors concluded that any attempt to create a synthetic substance to replace the mud — something Major League Baseball has explored — would be foolish.Evan Bush, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
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To end its losing tradition, Colorado has to stop making foolish choices with its payroll.Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 July 2017
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Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.Andy Benoit, The MMQB, 10 July 2017
Adjective
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But while the 118 is able to save both Celeste and her mother-in-law’s final resting place, a smug Trent trips and drops the vase, an appropriate punchline to a very silly cold open.Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
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Read more Today's talkers Take a break from the election with these silly, happy shows.Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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This means my phone was limited to T-Mobile's slower 5G service, which explains the lower speeds.PCMAG, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
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It’s been a long, slow build for Annunen to become an NHL goalie, but getting to start six times in eight games for the Avs was a big step for him.Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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This absurd claim is an extension of their relentless obsession to remove checks and balances within our government.Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 5 Nov. 2024
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The three books so far are deeply romantic, gorgeously tragic, smart as hell, and written in this absurd baroque, irreverent language.Constance Grady, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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If peace has always been but a simple voluntary choice, the price of human imperfection has been paid in the coin of perpetual war.Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024
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Or that a different definition will make a theory simpler.Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 18 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The sight of a covey of desert quail fills me with a mad, superhuman strength.Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024
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Then, like clockwork, a bunch of Democrats got mad.Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near witless
Cite this Entry
“Witless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witless. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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