1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
some half-wit had left the gate open, and all the sheep had gotten loose
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiot
a stupid person
even a half-wit knows that ice cream melts if it's not in the freezer
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Recent Examples of half-wit
If one president can pardon his half-brother, then another president can pardon his half-wit son.
—
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 8 June 2024
Aerial mishaps and half-wit actors turn a fantasy classic into a farce.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2023
Beau’s brother, Peanut (Kevin Cahoon), a fraction of a half-wit, fires off bullet lists of random jokes for no apparent reason.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2023
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 8 June 2024
Aerial mishaps and half-wit actors turn a fantasy classic into a farce.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2023
Beau’s brother, Peanut (Kevin Cahoon), a fraction of a half-wit, fires off bullet lists of random jokes for no apparent reason.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-wit
Noun
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At best, Trantalis and Glassman are being played for fools.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
7 July 2025
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Not even the streamers could provide a lot of new entertainment for us fools.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
5 July 2025
Noun
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So, the parallel thing that I’ve been frustrated by recently is not just calling Trump stupid, but calling Trump voters stupid.—
Drew Broussard
May 22,
Literary Hub,
22 May 2025
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Sometimes too stupid is actually smartski but sometimes is just stupid stupid.—
Caroline Downey,
National Review,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The neck of a young Egyptian goose pierced by an arrow.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
17 June 2025
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Walter Valle brought his goose named Gilbert Ryan Gosling.—
Molly Gibbs,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2025
Noun
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At least his brand of evil maniac is kind of funny and endearing.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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The fact that death itself is the protagonist, rather than some mask-wearing homicidal maniac, is what gives these films their morbid allure.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Half-wit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-wit. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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