Boneheaded

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Demonstrating a significant absence of critical thinking or wisdom
2. Marked by a tendency to engage in thoughtless or ill-advised behavior
3. Exhibiting a lack of reasoning or sound sense that leads to foolish actions

Etymology: "Boneheaded" is a plain compound: "bone" in the sense of the skull, joined to "headed," which describes a person with a particular kind of head. The image is of a head so solid it seems to be made of bone rather than brain, a way of saying someone is dense or slow to reason. The "bone" here is the hard material of the skull, which is why the word is often used to suggest a mind that cannot take in anything sensible. Over time the insult sharpened from mere stupidity into a description of careless or ill-judged action. Someone who is boneheaded is less a dullard than a person who makes foolish moves, the sort of error a clever person would have avoided. The word is also used as a noun for such a person, though the adjective is the more common form.

Synonyms: foolish, stupid, dull-witted, obtuse, mindless

Antonyms: smart, intelligent, clever, bright, wise