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Synonyms
- airhead
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- bonehead
- bubblehead
- chowderhead
- chucklehead
- clodpoll
- clodpole
- clot [British]
- cluck
- clunk
- cretin
- cuddy [British dialect]
- cuddie
- deadhead
- dim bulb [slang]
- dimwit
- dip
- dodo
- dolt
- donkey
- doofus [slang]
- dope
- dork [slang]
- dum-dum
- dumbbell
- dumbhead
- dummkopf
- dummy
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- gander
- golem
- goof
- goon
- half-wit
- hammerhead
- hardhead
- idiot
- ignoramus
- imbecile
- jackass
- know-nothing
- knucklehead
- lamebrain
- loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
- loon
- lump
- lunkhead
- meathead
- mome [archaic]
- moron
- mug [chiefly British]
- mutt
- natural
- nimrod [slang]
- nincompoop
- ninny
- ninnyhammer
- nit [chiefly British]
- nitwit
- noddy
- noodle
- numskull
- numbskull
- oaf
- pinhead
- prat [British]
- ratbag [chiefly Australian]
- saphead
- schlub [slang]
- shlub
- schnook [slang]
- simpleton
- stock
- stupe
- stupid
- thickhead
- turkey
- woodenhead
- yahoo
- yo-yo
Examples of dullard in a Sentence
The company is run by a bunch of dullards.
often mistaken for a dullard because he never said much in discussions
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s a fine and appealing tone that builds (again) on a long tradition: Many a detective in the genre is known for easily outperforming the police, who tend to be depicted as well-meaning but overworked dullards.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024
They must get struck, bent, broken and shoved into the flames to mold the boy into a man, the dullard into a dagger.
—Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2023
Dropping the hammer from a stop gets it to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, which opens plenty of opportunities for maneuvering around traffic's pokey dullards.
—Austin Irwin, Car and Driver, 31 May 2023
So with just these few changes, the Saab 99 went from a rather efficient dullard to a sparkling performer.
—Patrick Bedard, Car and Driver, 23 Jan. 2023
Colin Farrell’s turn as a lovable dullard in Banshees of Inisherin and Bill Nighy as a bureaucrat rediscovering himself in Living both broke hearts on the festival circuit, and career-capstone nominations for each seem likely.
—Vulture, 29 Sep. 2022
Philosophers constantly argue as if every hypothetical person is either a dullard or a hyper-self-aware.
—Kyle Munkittrick, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2011
Burwell focused on Farrell’s character, Pádraic, a farmer characterized by his friend as a dullard.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2022
This is a beautiful three-hour dullard, a study in inertia, its characters reflected all too faithfully by the film itself.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dullard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of dullard was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near dullard
Cite this Entry
“Dullard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dullard. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
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