Dumbest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Exhibiting the highest degree of lacking intelligence or common sense
2. Showing the greatest absence of mental acuity or practical judgment
3. Displaying the utmost deficiency in intellect or sound reasoning

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "dumbest" is that its core sense was never about intelligence. For most of its history, "dumb" meant "unable to speak," and the stupid sense only took hold in the 19th century. The word descends from Old English "dumb," meaning silent, speechless, or unable to talk, which traces back to a Germanic root that also gave modern German "dumm" and Dutch "dom," both of which mean "stupid." Those cousins once had the same silent sense, and in English the shift to "lacking intelligence" appears to have been reinforced by the German and Dutch senses, possibly as a result of their influence. "Dumbest" is simply the superlative of "dumb," so it means the most stupid or least sensible of a group. The earlier silent sense survives in "dumbfounded" and in the older use of "dumb" for mute people, which is why the adjective can still carry two meanings depending on context.

Synonyms: stupidest, foolishest

Antonyms: smartest, brightest