Numbskull

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual characterized by a notable absence of intelligence or sound judgment
2. A person whose actions reflect a severe deficiency in reasoning or comprehension abilities
3. Someone who consistently shows a lack of common sense or intelligence

Etymology: "Numbskull" is a plain compound: "numb" joined to "skull," with "numb" in its old sense of dulled or deadened, so the whole word pictures a head whose wits have gone numb. The image is literal and the sense is figurative, a mind that has stopped responding, much as a limb does when it falls asleep. The "numb" element carries most of the meaning. It is the older sense of the adjective, dulled in feeling or sensation, that the word draws on, so "numbskull" describes someone whose thinking seems similarly dead to the world. The compound is a common and transparent type of English formation, built from two ordinary words rather than borrowed from another language.

Synonyms: fool, idiot, dunce, simpleton, blockhead

Antonyms: genius, intellect, brain, smart, sage