soft-headed
Definition
- Adjective:
- Foolish or lacking intelligence: "soft-headed" describes a person who is naive, gullible, or not very sharp in thinking. It implies a lack of mental firmness or sound judgment.
Usage Examples
- (He is foolish and cannot grasp the details.)
- (Do not be naive or gullible.)
- (Her foolishly optimistic attitude irritated others.)
Advanced Usage
- "soft-headed idealism": a type of thinking that is impractical or unrealistic due to a lack of critical reasoning.
- The proposal was rejected as soft-headed idealism. (The plan was dismissed as foolish and unrealistic.)
Variants and Related Words
- Soft-headedness (noun): the quality of being foolish or lacking intelligence.
- His soft-headedness led him to believe every promise made by the salesman. (His foolishness made him trust the salesman too easily.)
- Soft (adj): in this context, meaning weak or lacking firmness (not physically, but mentally).
- She has a soft mind when it comes to financial decisions. (She is mentally weak or easily misled.)
Synonyms
- Foolish: lacking good sense or judgment.
- Gullible: easily deceived or tricked.
- Simple-minded: lacking intelligence or sophistication.
- Naive: showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment.
Antonyms
- Sharp-minded: intellectually keen and quick.
- Astute: having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people.
- Sagacious: having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment.
Related Idioms
- Soft in the head: a more informal and slightly derogatory phrase meaning foolish or mentally weak.
- You must be soft in the head to believe that story. (You must be foolish to believe that.)
- Not the sharpest tool in the shed: a common idiom meaning not very intelligent.
- He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he means well. (He is not very bright, but he is kind.)