1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
quit acting like a nincompoop, because I know you are smarter than that
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in moron
a stupid person
who wants a nincompoop as a business partner?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nincompoop
Everyone in the imperium knows the emperor is a nincompoop—and yet no one wants to go out on a limb to criticize him.
—
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Korda has declared that, because his nine sons are, frankly, nincompoops and rapscallions, Liesl will be the sole heir to his fortune.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
Paired alongside Williams and Dunst’s airheads, Ferrell plays a nincompoop Bob Woodward, but the role doesn’t give him much of a chance to cut loose.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
Being a nature nincompoop may have saved him from a grisly fate.
—Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2025
As Jimmy, the chief pushover, Jimmy, Norman makes for a sympathetic enough nincompoop.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 16 June 2024
Only one police officer pops up there, a smiley nincompoop who sucks down children’s birthday cake from behind a desk and shrugs his way through conversation.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024
Somebody else could have gotten away with doing half as much, but Ruffalo proves a compound nincompoop.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nincompoop
Noun
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The lunatics who attacked the seat of government to try to change the outcome of a free and fair election are not patriots.—
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Now, after Miami’s 34-10 win Sunday at the New York Jets, you are officially allowed to wonder aloud about wild-card playoff chances and be seen only as way optimistic rather than as a raving lunatic.—
Noun
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Overwhelmingly, though, the most common response was to seek confirmation of their suspicions that Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were morons.—
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There are worse things than watching Black, Rudd, and Zahn play three gormless morons on a mid-life misadventure, but almost every scene and setpiece is constructed with a haphazardness that blunders away their charm.—
Noun
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Do not let Fernando Mendoza’s earnestness fool you.—
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But telling Porsha something in confidence is a fool’s errand.—
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.—
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Sometimes too stupid is actually smartski but sometimes is just stupid stupid.—
Noun
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Foie gras — or fattened liver of a duck or goose — is a delicacy in French cooking that is occasionally featured on higher-end restaurants’ menus.—
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End-of-season closeout deals are up to 81% off, including comforters filled with goose feathers, gel fibers, silk, and more.—
Noun
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Not the fear of an actor out of her element, or the more mundane fear of a victim being chased around by an ax-wielding maniac.—
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That was the only understated thing this certified maniac said or did all night long.—
Cite this Entry
“Nincompoop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nincompoop. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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