-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
numbskull
noun
numb·skull
ˈnəm-ˌskəl
variants
or less commonly numskull
1
: a dull or stupid person : dunce
2
: a thick or muddled head
Examples of numbskull in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott, likewise, packs his divisive prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, with a bunch of disposable and largely unsympathetic numbskulls.
—
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024
Fey didn’t write this uneven comedy, but it’s got some of the same sophisticated satire of big-city elites that 30 Rock exudes, and Martin has a ball playing a pompous numbskull who doesn’t know that ponytails have been over for more than a decade.
—
Will Leitch, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2024
Contra-stereotype, Finkel estimates that only ten per cent of meatheads are numbskulls.
—
Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2023
Sure, any numbskull can pour a bag of iron filings into a jug of Tide (trust me, my wife is still screaming).
—
David H Freedman, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2024
Four women enjoying a retreat at a secluded lakeside cabin are attacked by three numbskulls and turn the tables on them, becoming the torturers.
—
Chris Ball, cleveland.com, 1 Apr. 2018
Thank you to US press and other numbskulls who put him there.
—
Colin Stutz, Billboard, 1 June 2024
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.
Word History
Etymology
First Known Use
1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near numbskull
Cite this Entry
“Numbskull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/numbskull. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
numbskull
variant of numskull
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share