dumb
1 of 2adjective
ˈdəm 
dumber; dumbest
1
a
: lacking intelligence : stupid
pretended to be dumb
b
: showing a lack of intelligence
asking dumb questions
a dumb look on his face
c
: requiring no intelligence
dumb luck
2
a
: lacking the human power of speech
dumb animals
b
of a person, dated, offensive, see usage paragraph below : lacking the ability to speak : mute
3
: temporarily unable to speak (as from shock or astonishment)
struck dumb with fear
4
: not expressed in uttered words
dumb grief
5
: silent
they were capable of sitting for hours, dumb and unabashed, over their pipes
Ellen Glasgow
Ellen Glasgow also : taciturn
6
: lacking some usual attribute or accompaniment
especially : having no means of self-propulsion
a dumb barge
7
: not having the capability to process data
a dumb terminal
compare intelligent sense 3a dumbly
ˈdəm-lē
adverb dumbness noun
dumb
2 of 2verb
dumbed; dumbing; dumbs
transitive verb
: to make silent : deaden
would lie around, dumbed by the drugs Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Synonyms
Adjective
- mum
- mute
- muted
- silent
- speechless
- uncommunicative
- wordless
Verb
- extinguish
- hush
- mute
- quell
- quiet
- quieten [chiefly British]
- settle
- shush
- shut up
- silence
- squelch
- still
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective I'm not dumb enough to believe that. It was a dumb idea in the first place. He just stood there with a dumb grin on his face. This is one of the dumbest TV shows I've ever seen. It was dumb luck that we found this place at all. His success is just a matter of dumb luck. He was born deaf and dumb. Verb the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears See More
Recent Examples on the Web Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 July 2017 Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb. Andy Benoit, The MMQB, 10 July 2017 And all of it thanks to mango lovers, tolerant homeowners and dumb luck. Carlos Frías, miamiherald, 29 June 2017 There's nothing inherently wrong with remaking The Mummy; the 1999 film (itself a remake) is a lot of dumb fun, but just that. Josh Spiegel, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 June 2017 Pete Townshend wrote the music and the lyrics for the inspiring story of the deaf, dumb and blind kid who sure plays a mean pinball. Dan Kelly, kansascity.com, 6 June 2017 Some Dumb American, for giving me the opportunity — and for demonstrating what doing it badly looks like. Lily Meade, Teen Vogue, 6 July 2017 The difference between the dumb comments of the past and the inappropriate remarks of today, however, is the size of our audience. Ana Veciana-suarez, miamiherald, 3 July 2017 Here are the top five dumb things Louisville drivers do. Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Courier-Journal, 30 June 2017 Andy Meek, BGR, 28 Apr. 2022 Worse, the country’s attempts to fix the schools have tended to dumb them down, experts say. New York Times, 1 Mar. 2020 Auto-aim system does just enough legwork to let players focus on speed without completely dumbing the game down. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 7 Nov. 2019 The differences between the 2000s and 2019 versions are nuanced but can be quickly boiled (or dumbed) down to fewer butt shots. Seija Rankin, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2019 Many thought Ross wanted girls to pretend to like things to get a guy to crush on them, or even dumb themselves down so guys can feel like teachers. Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, 6 Nov. 2018 The filmmakers wanted all of the satire, but dumbed it down enough to appeal to a mass audience in the cutthroat summer blockbuster season. cleveland.com, 15 Feb. 2018 Many thought Ross wanted girls to pretend to like things to get a guy to crush on them, or even dumb themselves down so guys can feel like teachers. Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, 6 Nov. 2018 Winston had to dumb it down to a few dozen basic sentences. Andy Rosen, BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2018 See More
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 And all of it thanks to mango lovers, tolerant homeowners and dumb luck. Carlos Frías, miamiherald, 29 June 2017 There's nothing inherently wrong with remaking The Mummy; the 1999 film (itself a remake) is a lot of dumb fun, but just that. Josh Spiegel, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 June 2017 Pete Townshend wrote the music and the lyrics for the inspiring story of the deaf, dumb and blind kid who sure plays a mean pinball. Dan Kelly, kansascity.com, 6 June 2017 Some Dumb American, for giving me the opportunity — and for demonstrating what doing it badly looks like. Lily Meade, Teen Vogue, 6 July 2017 The difference between the dumb comments of the past and the inappropriate remarks of today, however, is the size of our audience. Ana Veciana-suarez, miamiherald, 3 July 2017 Here are the top five dumb things Louisville drivers do. Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Courier-Journal, 30 June 2017 Verb
From prestige dramas like Anatomy of a Scandal (the #1 English-language Netflix show around the world right now) to dumb reality series. Andy Meek, BGR, 28 Apr. 2022 Worse, the country’s attempts to fix the schools have tended to dumb them down, experts say. New York Times, 1 Mar. 2020 Auto-aim system does just enough legwork to let players focus on speed without completely dumbing the game down. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 7 Nov. 2019 The differences between the 2000s and 2019 versions are nuanced but can be quickly boiled (or dumbed) down to fewer butt shots. Seija Rankin, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2019 Many thought Ross wanted girls to pretend to like things to get a guy to crush on them, or even dumb themselves down so guys can feel like teachers. Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, 6 Nov. 2018 The filmmakers wanted all of the satire, but dumbed it down enough to appeal to a mass audience in the cutthroat summer blockbuster season. cleveland.com, 15 Feb. 2018 Many thought Ross wanted girls to pretend to like things to get a guy to crush on them, or even dumb themselves down so guys can feel like teachers. Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, 6 Nov. 2018 Winston had to dumb it down to a few dozen basic sentences. Andy Rosen, BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Verb
Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German tumb mute
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Verb
1607, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing dumb
Kids Definition
dumb
adjective
ˈdəm
dumber; dumbest
1
: lacking the power of human speech
dumb animals
2
often offensive : lacking the ability to speak
Hint: In the past, this word was not considered offensive when used in this way. In recent years, however, many people have come to find it hurtful, and you may offend someone by using it.
3
: temporarily unable to speak (as from shock or surprise)
4
: stupid sense 1, foolish
There are no dumb questions.
dumb 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in silent
deliberately refraining from speech the mayor has chosen to remain dumb about her activities that night Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- silent
- speechless
- mute
- inarticulate
- mum
- muted
- dumbstruck
- wordless
- uncommunicative
- voiceless
- sulky
- tongue-tied
- nonvocal
- sullen
- sulking
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- speaking
- talking
- communicative
- eloquent
- articulate
- talkative
- fluent
- voluble
- talky
- loquacious
- outspoken
- garrulous
- glib
- vocal
- well-spoken
- gabby
- facile
- unreserved
- smooth-tongued
- silver-tongued
2
as in stupid
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily don't call him dumb just because he makes the occasional mistake like the rest of us Synonyms & Similar Words
- stupid
- slow
- simple
- foolish
- ignorant
- thick
- idiotic
- dull
- dense
- silly
- unintelligent
- dopey
- obtuse
- doltish
- thickheaded
- boneheaded
- brainless
- bonehead
- fatuous
- vacuous
- dunderheaded
- lamebrain
- mad
- witless
- pinheaded
- mindless
- soft
- dorky
- airheaded
- insane
- unreasonable
- senseless
- irrational
- crazy
- oafish
- dim
- opaque
- softheaded
- gormless
- dim-witted
- moronic
- brain-dead
- unsmart
- knuckleheaded
- chuckleheaded
- idiotical
- lamebrained
- empty-headed
- lunkheaded
- slow-witted
- fool
- bubbleheaded
- half-witted
- weak-minded
- thick-witted
- dopy
- absurd
- birdbrained
- imbecile
- simpleminded
- feebleminded
- uneducated
- lunatic
- uninformed
- illiterate
- cretinous
- daft
- looney
- unthinking
- unintellectual
- asinine
- illogical
- dippy
- unwise
- lowbrow
- nonsensical
- untaught
- imbecilic
- zany
- cuckoo
- wacky
- invalid
- nutty
- sappy
- loony
- daffy
- preposterous
- fallacious
- kooky
- screwball
- tomfool
- harebrained
- dotty
- crackpot
- whacky
- boobish
- cockeyed
- half-baked
- kookie
- featherheaded
- balmy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- smart
- intelligent
- clever
- brilliant
- quick
- bright
- apt
- wise
- fast
- sharp
- brainy
- ingenious
- nimble
- keen
- resourceful
- thinking
- savvy
- acute
- astute
- sagacious
- insightful
- perceptive
- knowing
- intellectual
- cerebral
- keen
- supersmart
- knowledgeable
- literate
- learned
- discerning
- erudite
- quick-witted
- sage
- skilled
- educated
- ultrasmart
- informed
- shrewd
- cunning
- sharp-witted
- hyperintelligent
- perspicacious
- trained
- scholarly
- wily
- reasonable
- sound
- sensible
- crafty
- sapient
- logical
- prudent
- sane
- highbrow
- valid
- rational
- percipient
- judicious
- well-read
- foxy
- schooled
3
as in reserved
tending not to speak frequently (as by habit or inclination) he prefers to remain dumb, and replies in monosyllables if really pressed Synonyms & Similar Words
- silent
- reserved
- restrained
- taciturn
- laconic
- uncommunicative
- closemouthed
- aloof
- tight-lipped
- reticent
- sheepish
- introverted
- backward
- inhibited
- diffident
- coy
- bashful
- staid
- indrawn
- retiring
- sober
- sedate
- modest
- demure
- self-effacing
- self-contained
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- talkative
- mouthy
- chatty
- talky
- loquacious
- outspoken
- communicative
- conversational
- gabby
- garrulous
- vocal
- blabby
- unreserved
- gossipy
- wordy
- rambling
- motormouthed
- verbose
- prolix
- windy
- gregarious
- outgoing
- diffuse
- free-spoken
- extroverted
- sociable
- long-winded
- extraverted
- talebearing
dumb
2 of 2verb
as in to mute
to stop the noise or speech of the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears Synonyms & Similar Words
- mute
- shush
- quiet
- still
- silence
- hush
- shut up
- settle
- extinguish
- quieten
- quell
- squelch
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stir
- agitate
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of dumb are crass, dense, dull, and stupid. While all these words mean "lacking in power to absorb ideas or impressions," dumb applies to an exasperating obtuseness or lack of comprehension.
too dumb to figure out what's going on
While in some cases nearly identical to dumb, crass suggests a grossness of mind precluding discrimination or delicacy.
a crass, materialistic people
The synonyms dense and dumb are sometimes interchangeable, but dense implies a thickheaded imperviousness to ideas.
too dense to take a hint
Although the words dull and dumb have much in common, dull suggests a slow or sluggish mind such as results from disease, depression, or shock.
monotonous work that leaves the mind dull
While the synonyms stupid and dumb are close in meaning, stupid implies a slow-witted or dazed state of mind that may be either congenital or temporary.
stupid students just keeping the seats warm
stupid with drink