Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Lacking mental capacity and subtlety: Describes a person who is slow to understand, not intelligent, or lacking in sharpness of mind. It implies a notable deficiency in quick thinking, cleverness, or intellectual acuity.

Usage

• The word "dim-witted" is used as an adjective to describe a person or, sometimes, an action that seems unintelligent.
• It is generally considered informal and can be offensive or insulting. It should be used with caution, typically only in informal contexts or when describing fictional characters.
• It is often used in a critical or dismissive way.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • The villain's plan was foiled by his own dim-witted henchmen.
  • She felt the movie portrayed the sidekick as unnecessarily dim-witted.
  • Making such a simple error was a dim-witted thing to do.

Advanced Usage

• "to be dim-witted": to be unintelligent or slow.
  • The character is written to be comically dim-witted.
• "dim-wittedness" (noun form): the state or quality of being dim-witted.
  • His constant mistakes were a result of sheer dim-wittedness.

Variants and Related Words

• Dimwit (n): a foolish or stupid person. This is a noun derived from the adjective.
  • Don't be such a dimwit; think before you act.

Synonyms

• Stupid: lacking intelligence or common sense.
• Obtuse: annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand.
• Dull: slow to understand; not intellectually sharp.
• Unintelligent: not having or showing intelligence.

Antonyms

• Intelligent: having or showing intelligence.
• Bright: quick-witted and intelligent.
• Clever: quick to understand, learn, and devise ideas.
• Sharp: having or showing a quick-witted intelligence.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• (as) thick as two short planks: (British English idiom) very stupid or dim-witted.
  • He's a nice guy, but he's as thick as two short planks.

Adjective

1. lacking mental capacity and subtlety