Brainless

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Lacking mental capacity or intelligence; acting in a thoughtless or foolish manner without consideration for consequences
2. Showing no sign of reasoning ability or intelligence
3. Characterized by a complete absence of thought or understanding

Etymology: "Brainless" is a plain compound: "brain" with the suffix "-less", meaning "without." Its earliest form appears in Middle English as "braynles," so the word is built from a native English root rather than borrowed from another language. The idea behind it is literal: someone without a brain is lacking the organ that was understood to do the thinking, and the adjective transferred that bodily sense to a lack of wit. The "-less" ending is one of the most productive suffixes in English, which is why it attaches so readily to nouns like "brain," "heart," or "spine" to describe absence. Because the word is so transparent, its meaning has changed little since the Middle English period; the core sense of missing intelligence has remained stable.

Synonyms: mindless, idiotic, foolish, dense, stupid

Antonyms: intelligent, smart, clever, wise, thoughtful