dumb en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ɖəm(b)/ (South-Asia)
- /dʌm/
- (Canada) audio
Etymology
From Middle English dumb (“silent, speechless, mute, ineffectual”), from Old English dumb (“silent, speechless, mute, unable to speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *dumb, from Proto-Germanic *dumbaz (“dull, dumb”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“to whisk, smoke, darken, obscure”). The senses of stupid, unintellectual, and pointless, which are found regularly since the 19th century only, probably developed under the influence of German dumm and Dutch dom. Just like the English word, these originally meant "lacking the power of speech", but they developed the mentioned senses early on. Cognates Cognate with Scots dumb (“dumb, silent”), North Frisian dom, domme (“dumb, stupid”), West Frisian dom (“dumb, stupid”), Dutch dom (“dumb, stupid”), German dumm (“dumb, stupid”), Danish dum (“stupid”), Swedish dum (“stupid”), Icelandic dumbur (“dumb, mute”). See also deaf.
Meanings
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(dated) Unable to speak; lacking power of speech.
The country people frequently ſay,—How can you treat a poor dumb beaſt ill; and a ſtreſs is very properly laid on the word dumb; for dumb they appear to thoſe who do not obſerve their looks and geſtures; but God, who takes care of every thing, underſtands their language...
1788, Mary Wollstonecraft, chapter 2, in Original Stories from Real Life (Children's literature), London: J. Johnson, published 1796, pages 10–11:His younger brother was born dumb, and communicated with sign language.
Deaf and blind and dumb and born to follow / What you need is someone strong to guide you
1992, “Opiate”, performed by Tool:We are dumb and we would talk
1884 January 5, “Mighty maiden with a mission”, in W. S. Gilbert (lyrics), Arthur Sullivan (music), Princess Ida, performed by D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, London, page 48:It is true, there is Turkish of which I had picked up a few phrases, and there is Chinese of which I did not understand a single word. But I had no fear of remaining dumb in Turkestan and the Celestial Empire.
a. 1905, anonymous translator, The Adventures of a Special Correspondent Among the Various Races and Countries of Central Asia, translation of Claudius Bombarnac by Jules Verne:deaf, dumb, and blind
to unloose the very tongues even of dumb creatures
[1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):
- (archaic) Not talkative; taciturn or unwilling to speak.
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(dated) Having no input or voice in running things.
Life was never a May-game for men; in all times the lot of the dumb-millions born to toil was defaced with manifold sufferings, injustices, heavy burdens, avoidable and unavoidable; not play at all, but hard work that made the sinews sore, and the heart sore.
1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “Democracy”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book III (The Modern Worker), page 210:
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(dated, of things, qualifier:actions, usually) Unaccompanied by words or speech, silent, wordless.
to pierce into the dumb past
1881, John Campbell Shairp, Aspects of Poetry:Since you are tongue-tied and so loath to speak In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts
1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:dumb show
O let my books be then the eloquence And dumb presagers of my speaking breast […]
1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 23”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:
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(dated) Not producing any sound, silent.
[…] Thro’ lands where not a leaf was dumb; But all the lavish hills would hum The murmur of a happy Pan: […]
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 39:
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(derogatory, especially, informal, of a person) Stupid.
You are so dumb! You don't even know how to make toast!
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(figuratively) Pointless, foolish, lacking intellectual content or value.
This is dumb! We're driving in circles! We should have asked for directions an hour ago!
Brendan had the dumb job of moving boxes from one conveyor belt to another.
- Lacking some functionality or property ordinarily characteristic of its kind.
- (of technology) Not equipped with intelligent behavior or processing capabilities of its own.
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(obsolete, rare) Lacking brightness or clearness as a colour; dim, dull.
Her stern, which was painted of a dumb white or dun color.
1720, Daniel Defoe, The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dumbest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| dumber | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
intelligent · smart · smart
Deriveds
dumbly (Suffixed forms) · dumbocrat (Suffixed forms) · a dumb priest never got a parish (Others) · dumb as a sack of bricks (Comparisons) · dumb as a post (Comparisons) · dumbo (Suffixed forms) · dumbling (Suffixed forms) · dumb cancel (Others) · dumb chum (Others) · dumbphone (Others) · dumb as a doornail (Comparisons) · randumb (Suffixed forms) · dumb out (Others) · undumb (Suffixed forms) · beauty fades, dumb is forever (Others) · dumbassed (Others) · dumb peal (Others) · dumbfound (Others) · dumb barge (Others) · dumb fuck (Others) · dumbness (Suffixed forms) · dumb charades (Others) · dumbbell (Others) · dumb well (Others) · dumb muscle (Others) · dumbocracy (Suffixed forms) · dumb as a sack of hammers (Comparisons) · dumbify (Suffixed forms) · dumb as an ox (Comparisons) · dumbnutdumbsize (Others) · dumb hole (Others) · dumb money (Others) · dumb as rocks (Comparisons) · rock-dumb (Others) · fandumb (Suffixed forms) · dumb as a box of rocks (Comparisons) · dumbish (Suffixed forms) · dumb insolence (Others) · dumbie (Suffixed forms) · dumb as dirt (Comparisons) · dumb gulper shark (Others) · dumbass (Others) · dumb as a rock (Comparisons) · freedumb (Suffixed forms) · dumb genius (Others) · dumb zone (Others) · dumb Dora (Others) · dumb luck (Others) · semidumb (Others) · deaf and dumb (Others) · dumbfounder (Others) · dumbification (Suffixed forms) · dumb friend (Others) · dumb as nails (Comparisons) · dumb like a fox (Comparisons) · dumbstruck (Others) · strike dumb (Others) · dumbwaiter (Others) · dumbcane (Others) · dumbski (Suffixed forms) · dumb quotes (Others) · dumbhood (Suffixed forms) · dumben (Suffixed forms) · dumb charade (Others) · dumb network (Others) · Mormondumb (Suffixed forms) · dumb chill (Others) · dumb fucker (Others) · dumbbutt (Others) · dumb as a bag of hammers (Comparisons) · dumb as a brick (Comparisons) · dumb bunny (Others) · dumb pipe (Others) · dumb show (Others) · dumb cluck (Others) · dumb as a fish (Comparisons) · dumbfounded (Others) · dumb blond (Others) · dumbhead (Others) · dumbtard (Suffixed forms) · dumb piano (Others) · dumb TV (Others) · dumb tax (Others) · dumbdom (Suffixed forms) · dumb as a stump (Comparisons) · dumb crambo (Others) · deaf-and-dumb alphabet (Others) · dumb cake (Others) · dumb bomb (Others) · dumbshit (Others) · dumb as a doorknob (Comparisons) · dumb chamber (Others) · dummy (Suffixed forms) · outdumb (Others) · dumb ague (Others) · wisdumb (Suffixed forms) · dumb spinet (Others)
Synonyms
dumb as a bag of hammers · stupid · hammer-headed · unclever · bullet-headed · ass-brained · slow · unapprehensive · dumb · idiotic · doltish · half-witted · not the sharpest knife in the drawer · monosynaptic · dumb as a doorknob · retarded · dozy · purblind · thick as champ · beefheaded · slow on the uptake · thick as a whale omelette · addlebrained · sharp as a bowling ball · thickwitted · chowderheaded · stolid · moronic · dumb as a post · ignorant · muttonheaded · Boeotian · not the sharpest crayon in the box · witless · numbskulled · dumber than a box of rocks · beef-witted · soft · ridiculous · thick as two short planks · braindead · feeble-minded · smooth-brained · dim-witted · inane · idiotic · quarter-witted · thick as mince · oafish · vacant · intellectually challenged · rockheaded · slow-witted · dense · dull-minded · bubbleheaded · mentally retarded · ridiculous · lamebrained · thickheaded · beetle-headed · not the sharpest tool in the shed · obtuse · simple · imbecilic · dumber than a rock · chuckleheaded · stupid · stupid · dunderheaded · dopey · wool-headed · cretinous · silly · dented · thick-skulled · dim-headed · dull · dull-witted · vacuous · brainless · fuzzy-minded · thick as a brick · thick · knuckleheaded · daft · uninformed · mute · thick as pig shit · banal · empty-headed · crackbrained · lowbrow · airheaded · insipid · peabrained · fatheaded · dumb as an ox · sheep-headed · dull-headed · dumb as dirt · shit-for-brains · wooden-headed · nitwitted · flea-brained · moronic · vulgar · dumb as a box of rocks · half-brained · woolly-minded · thick as a plank · addlepated · dim · boneheaded · dumb as a sack of hammers · lunkheaded · unsmart · fuzzy-headed · childish · goofy · pudding-headed · boofheaded · foolish · dim-bulb · bee-brained · drowsy · cerebrally challenged · woolly-headed · dopey · blockheaded · feeble-minded · wordless · brainless · lumpish · mentally challenged · puerile · buffle-headed · silly · speechless · mindless · unintelligent · pratty · fuckwitted · birdbrained
Translations (106)
eo stulta (pointless or unintellectual) · da åndssvag (stupid) · nn dum (pointless or unintellectual) · de idiotisch (stupid) · pt idiota (stupid) · nl dom (stupid) · fa دبنگ (stupid) · th โง่ (stupid) · cs debilní (stupid) · fr stupide (stupid) · pl idiotyczny (stupid) · it stupido (stupid) · et loll (stupid) · fi typerä (stupid) · ru тупо́й (stupid) · lt kvailas (stupid) · kmr bêmêjî (stupid) · hu ostoba (stupid) · bg тъп (stupid) · hu buta (stupid) · sv korkad (stupid) · su belegug (stupid) · la stupidus (stupid) · fi idioottimainen (stupid) · he מְטֻמְטָם (stupid) · da dum (stupid) · ru глу́пый (stupid) · ota بوك (stupid) · kmr bêaqil (stupid) · ja 愚かな (stupid) · jv pekok (stupid) · eo stulta (stupid) · sa मूर (stupid) · fi typerä (pointless or unintellectual) · ca estúpid (stupid) · wa boubiet (stupid) · pt estúpido (pointless or unintellectual) · la stultus (stupid) · hu hülye (stupid) · sa निर्बुद्धि (stupid) · he טִפֵּשׁ (stupid) · pl pustogłowy (stupid) · ckb بێمەعنا (pointless or unintellectual) · af dom (stupid) · id dungu (stupid) · zza xint (stupid) · da fordummende (pointless or unintellectual) · de dumm (stupid) · ru бессмы́сленный (pointless or unintellectual) · la supervacuus (pointless or unintellectual) · jv goblog (stupid) · es mentecapto (pointless or unintellectual) · be дурны (stupid) · sa मूढ (stupid) · cmn 蠢 (stupid) · fa خنگ (stupid) · ja 実のない (pointless or unintellectual) · pl durny (stupid) · grc μωρός (stupid) · ru дурно́й (stupid) · arz احمق (stupid) · sa अज्ञान (stupid) · fr idiot (stupid) · de dumm (pointless or unintellectual) · wa wargnasse (stupid) · la blennus (stupid) · fr débile (stupid) · el χαζός (stupid) · fa کودن (stupid) · tr saçma (pointless or unintellectual) · pl tępy (stupid) · ota شاشقین (stupid) · nl stom (stupid) · sv meningslös (pointless or unintellectual) · pl debilny (stupid) · da åndssvag (pointless or unintellectual) · ja ばかな (stupid) · nb dum (pointless or unintellectual) · de sinnlos (pointless or unintellectual) · tr boş (pointless or unintellectual) · es mentecapto (stupid) · sa मूर्ख (stupid) · cs blbý (stupid) · de dümmlich (pointless or unintellectual) · tr aptal (stupid) · es sandio (stupid) · fr niais (stupid) · fr bête stupide (pointless or unintellectual) · pt burro (stupid) · arz غشيم (stupid) · ar غَبِيّ (stupid) · es adundado (stupid) · es tonto (pointless or unintellectual) · lt (barbarism) durnas (stupid) · wa loigne (stupid) · nds dumm (stupid) · cmn 笨 (stupid) · sa जल (stupid) · pdt frekjt (stupid) · da dum (pointless or unintellectual) · fr bête (stupid) · pl bezmyślny (stupid) · it stupido (pointless or unintellectual) · ckb بێعەقڵ (stupid) · sv dum (stupid) · es tonto (stupid)