Nearby Words
noun
a dull-witted, stupid, or ignorant person; dolt.
Related forms
dun·ci·cal, dunc·ish, adjective
dunc·ish·ly, adverb
Synonyms
dullard, numbskull, blockhead, ignoramus, simpleton, nincompoop, ninny.
dullard, numbskull, blockhead, ignoramus, simpleton, nincompoop, ninny.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To dunce
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Dunce
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Example Sentences
- Don't tell me about salary caps, dunce caps, capped teeth.
- And if erectus was not in quite the same intellectual league as modern man, it was certainly no dunce.
- McEnery as her young lover is an insufferable dunce.
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
dunce
1577, from earlier Duns disciple "follower of John Duns Scotus" (c. 1265-1308), Scot. scholar of philosophy and theology supposed to have been born at Duns in Berwickshire. By 16c., humanist reaction against medieval theology singled him out as the type of the hairsplitting scholastic. It became a term
EXPANDof reproach to more conservative philosophical opponents c.1527, later extended to any dull-witted student.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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