1
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
a teacher who affirms that there are no brainless students, only lazy ones
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a brainless decision to talk on her cell phone while weaving in and out of traffic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brainless
But the most impressive is first-time writer-director Molly Manning Walker getting us not just to forgive her central triad their brash and brainless bravado but to grieve for it when it’s gone.
—
Jessica Kiang, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024
And in the ultimate exemplification of how an endless stream of content begets pernicious bunkum, John McPhail’s Dear David is arguably the most brainless release of the year.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 5 Dec. 2023
Except these mussels are eyeless, brainless, little brown creatures that few people have ever heard of.
—Robert Kunzig, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
Mostly born of concern about children, this panic quickly toggled toward adults as well, such that the looming specter of a zombified spectator, passively assailed by toxic, brainless, morally compromised TV images became a figure of great cultural worry.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 24 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for brainless
Jessica Kiang, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024
And in the ultimate exemplification of how an endless stream of content begets pernicious bunkum, John McPhail’s Dear David is arguably the most brainless release of the year.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 5 Dec. 2023
Except these mussels are eyeless, brainless, little brown creatures that few people have ever heard of.
—Robert Kunzig, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
Mostly born of concern about children, this panic quickly toggled toward adults as well, such that the looming specter of a zombified spectator, passively assailed by toxic, brainless, morally compromised TV images became a figure of great cultural worry.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 24 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for brainless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainless
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
Adjective
-
Instead, the series seems determined to prove that age is just a number by forcing its leads, now including Choudhury and Parker, to act as if 50 is the new (and very stupid) 30.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
-
Jurassic Park, based on the Michael Crichton best-seller, is an evolutionary joke: Man, the master of the universe, has become mere flesh, consumed by animals allegedly too stupid to survive.—
David Denby,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Forecasters at the National Weather Service said there was the potential for additional catastrophic flooding and heavy rainfall in the region throughout Saturday, given the storm’s slow craw across the state.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
-
Even though we've all been told gray is on its way out for quite some time, it's been a slow burn.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
Underestimating China would be a grave error, but underestimating the United States would be equally foolish.—
Damien Ma,
Foreign Affairs,
1 July 2025
-
Gi-hun himself proved a tough protagonist to root for when the show began, as a foolish gambling addict hoping to reconnect with his family but who becomes obsessed with the games anyway.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Chris wore a simple navy blue polo shirt and khaki shorts combo, while Alexa showed off her growing bump in a white and blue floral dress — along with an Olympic logo necklace to complete her maternity style.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
11 July 2025
-
While in many ways, this flat 33km time-trial is simple, particularly in its middle section, there is still plenty to watch out for.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
One of Netflix’s big movie plays for July is the sequel to its very silly but very fun action fantasy film The Old Guard.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
-
None of that, however, excuses the silly and juvenile behavior of the Assembly’s majority Democrats last week when the chamber took up a resolution commemorating Pride month.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Adjective
-
Sides of hand-cut fries ($3) were fairly standard, and onion rings ($5) were thick and addictively crunchy.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
14 July 2025
-
The three-day Tampa conference was thick with criticism of DOJ and disbelief that the president could have let so many people down.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
The French super powerhouse has taken teams part since winning the UEFA Champions League crown on May 24, outscoring its foes by an absurd 21-1 margin.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
-
From the vantage point of 2025, this appears as absurd as suggesting that women’s soccer matches should be 70 minutes instead of 90, the same as in the men’s game.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brainless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainless. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share