Dumb — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈdəm/

Meaning & Definition of Dumb

Dumb (adjective)

  1. lacking intelligence, stupid
  2. showing a lack of intelligence
  3. requiring no intelligence

Dumb (verb)

  1. to make silent, deaden

Dumb (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: airheaded, birdbrained, bonehead, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, gormless (chiefly British), half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, mindless, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, stupid, thick, thick-witted, thickheaded, unintelligent, unsmart, vacuous, weak-minded, witless
    related: cretinous, feebleminded, simpleminded, boobish, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, ignorant, illiterate, lowbrow, uneducated, uninformed, unintellectual, untaught, unthinking, absurd, asinine, balmy, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, featherheaded, fool, half-baked, harebrained, insane, kooky, loony, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, silly, tomfool, unwise, wacky, zany, fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, unreasonable
    opposite: apt, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, supersmart, ultrasmart
    near: ingenious, resourceful, acute, astute, discerning, insightful, keen, knowing, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sage, sapient, savvy, wise, cerebral, erudite, highbrow, intellectual, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, thinking, well-read, educated, informed, schooled, skilled, trained, crafty, cunning, foxy, shrewd, wily, judicious, prudent, sane, sensible, sound, logical, rational, reasonable, valid

  2. tending not to speak frequently (as by habit or inclination)

    "he prefers to remain dumb, and replies in monosyllables if really pressed"

    similar: closemouthed, laconic, reserved, reticent, silent, taciturn, tight-lipped, uncommunicative
    related: aloof, indrawn, inhibited, introverted, restrained, sedate, self-contained, sober, staid, backward, bashful, coy, demure, diffident, modest, retiring, self-effacing, sheepish
    opposite: blabby, chatty, communicative, conversational, gabby, garrulous, loquacious, motormouthed, mouthy, talkative, talky, unreserved
    near: free-spoken, outspoken, vocal, gossipy, talebearing, diffuse, long-winded, prolix, rambling, verbose, windy, wordy, extroverted, gregarious, outgoing, sociable

Dumb (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to stop the noise or speech of

    "the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears"

    similar: extinguish, hush, mute, quell, quiet, quieten (chiefly British), settle, shush, shut up, silence, squelch, still
    near: agitate, stir

Related Entry: Dumb cluck (noun)

Dumb cluck is a different word from Dumb. The synonyms below are for dumb cluck, not for dumb.

  1. as in ninnyhammer, stupe

    similar: airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead, bubblehead, chowderhead, chucklehead, clodpoll, clot (British), cluck, clunk, cretin, cuddy (British dialect), deadhead, dim bulb (slang), dimwit, dip, dodo, dolt, donkey, doofus (slang), dope, dork (slang), dullard, dumbbell, dumbhead, dum-dum, dummkopf, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, fathead, gander, golem, goof, goon, half-wit, hammerhead, hardhead, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, know-nothing, knucklehead, lamebrain, loggerhead (chiefly dialect), loon, lump, lunkhead, meathead, mome (archaic), moron, mug (chiefly British), mutt, nimrod (slang), nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit (chiefly British), nitwit, noddy, noodle, numskull, oaf, pinhead, prat (British), ratbag (chiefly Australian), saphead, schlub (slang), schnook (slang), simpleton, stock, stupe, stupid, thickhead, turkey, woodenhead, yahoo, yo-yo
    opposite: brain, genius, intellect, intellectual, sage, thinker, whiz, wizard, polymath, Renaissance man, sharpie

Related Entry: Dumb clucks (noun)

Dumb clucks is a different word from Dumb. The synonyms below are for dumb clucks, not for dumb.

  1. as in ninnyhammers, stupes

    similar: airheads, birdbrains, blockheads, boneheads, bubbleheads, chowderheads, chuckleheads, clodpolls, clots (British), clucks, clunks, cretins, cuddies (British dialect), deadheads, dim bulbs (slang), dimwits, dips, dodoes, dolts, donkeys, doofuses (slang), dopes, dorks (slang), dullards, dumbbells, dumbheads, dum-dums, dummies, dummkopfs, dunces, dunderheads, fatheads, ganders, golems, goofs, goons, half-wits, hammerheads, hardheads, idiots, ignoramuses, imbeciles, jackasses, know-nothings, knuckleheads, lamebrains, loggerheads (chiefly dialect), loons, lumps, lunkheads, meatheads, momes (archaic), morons, mugs (chiefly British), mutts, nimrods (slang), nincompoops, ninnies, ninnyhammers, nits (chiefly British), nitwits, noddies, noodles, numskulls, oafs, pinheads, prats (British), ratbags (chiefly Australian), sapheads, schlubs (slang), schnooks (slang), simpletons, stocks, stupes, stupids, thickheads, turkeys, woodenheads, yahoos, yo-yos
    opposite: brains, geniuses, intellects, intellectuals, sages, thinkers, whizzes, wizards, polymaths, Renaissance men, sharpies

Related Entry: Dumb down (verb)

Dumb down is a different word from Dumb. The synonyms below are for dumb down, not for dumb.

  1. as in oversimplify

    similar: oversimplify, simplify, streamline, prune, strip (down), trim, purify, refine
    opposite: complex, complexify, complicate, perplex, sophisticate, elaborate

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Dumb

The most common words with a similar meaning to Dumb:

Chiefly British: gormless, quieten
Slang: dorky
airheaded, birdbrained, bonehead, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dull, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, mindless, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, stupid, thick, thick-witted, thickheaded, unintelligent, unsmart, vacuous, weak-minded

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Dumb

Words with the opposite meaning of Dumb:

apt, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, supersmart, ultrasmart, blabby, chatty, communicative, conversational, gabby, garrulous, loquacious, motormouthed, mouthy, talkative, talky, unreserved

Related Words for Dumb

cretinous, feebleminded, simpleminded, boobish, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, ignorant, illiterate, lowbrow, uneducated, uninformed, unintellectual, untaught, unthinking, absurd, asinine, balmy, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, featherheaded, fool, half-baked

Near Antonyms of Dumb

ingenious, resourceful, acute, astute, discerning, insightful, knowing, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sage, sapient, savvy, wise, cerebral, erudite, highbrow, intellectual, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, thinking, well-read, educated, informed, schooled, skilled, trained

Word Forms of Dumb

Inflections: dumber, dumbest, dumbed, dumbing, dumbs

Derived words: dumbly (adverb), dumbness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Dumb

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German tumb mute

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Dumb

Words & Phrases Containing Dumb

dumb cane, dumb down, dumb show, act dumb, struck dumb, dumbass

Frequently Asked Questions about Dumb

What does "Dumb" mean?

"Dumb" means lacking intelligence, stupid. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: lacking intelligence, stupid. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Dumb"?

Other words for "Dumb" include airheaded, birdbrained, bonehead, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded and chuckleheaded. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Dumb" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Dumb"?

There are 131 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Dumb". Common alternatives include airheaded, birdbrained, bonehead, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense and dim.

What is the opposite of "Dumb"?

Antonyms of "Dumb" include apt, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, fast, hyperintelligent and intelligent. Near antonyms include ingenious, resourceful, acute and astute.

How do you use "Dumb" in a sentence?

Examples of "Dumb" in a sentence: "don't call him dumb just because he makes the occasional mistake like the rest of us"; "he prefers to remain dumb, and replies in monosyllables if really pressed"; "the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears".

Is "Dumb" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Dumb" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Dumb" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Dumb" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Dumb"?

"Dumb" is pronounced /ˈdəm/.