as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
a comedy show that invariably portrays the British aristocracy as a bunch of gormless twits
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Recent Examples of gormless
Ustinov hired him, though, as Stamp had unwittingly replicated Billy Budd’s gormless behavior.
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Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2025
There’s some droll humor in this pileup of bad decisions and bad behavior — particularly in one running gag that sees Carey doggedly befriending Ashley’s parade of exes, including one hilariously gormless f-boy played by drawling ensemble standout Charlie Gillespie.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 May 2025
Much like bad prose, his gormless suits draw far too much attention to themselves.
—Hazlitt, 19 Dec. 2024
Much of the movie unfolds inside the suburban Connecticut mansion where Lily lives with her gormless mother (Francie Swift) and her loathsome stepdad.
—Justin Chang, latimes.com, 8 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gormless
Adjective
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As Legally Blonde's Elle Woods, Witherspoon charted a memorable path from dumb blonde to Harvard Law School graduate.—
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Celebrities fight it out to be eliminated from the competition as quickly as possible to avoid being crowned the nation’s dumbest.—
Adjective
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In tribute to Michael Keane’s hair-pulling on Wednesday, Cerys Jones picked through the stupidest dismissals in Premier League history.—
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To do a lot less foolish, thoughtless, stupid, idiotic things.—
Adjective
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Hoover finished 319 yards on 34-of-50 passing, but his two turnovers were critical mistakes that led to TCU’s slow start in the first half.—
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When visiting the exhibit, plan on taking your time to make the most of it, or what the American Federation of Arts calls slow looking.—
Adjective
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This simple taupe geometric style peel-and-stick wallpaper is affordable, easy to apply, and looks gorgeous without being too bold or loud.—
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The simple addition of zipper detailing adds a preppy energy to the top.—
Adjective
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They’re made of a buttery soft, thick material that will keep you warm and cozy at home all winter.—
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Too thick of a mascara coat, and suddenly my gaze droops.—
Adjective
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Contributor Yelena Moroz Alpert finds Brooklinen’s prints a good midway point between something too chintzy or something too dull, and thinks highly of the material as well.—
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The fiber’s irregular length distribution—with 50 percent at 28 millimeters and 50 percent in the 10 to 20 millimeter range—delivers a textured, semi-dull and opaque aesthetic that achieves a genuine, vintage washdown performance.—
Cite this Entry
“Gormless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gormless. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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