dunderheads

Thick-skulled oafs indeed

Dunderheads is the plural of dunderhead, a mildly old-fashioned insult for a stupid person.

The word has a comical ring that softens its bite: Those dunderheads in accounting lost the invoices again.

It suggests bumbling incompetence rather than malice.

synonyms

blockheads

Stupid or obstinate people

dimwitsFoolish, unintelligent people
doltsSlow-witted people
duncesSlow-witted people

nitwits · numbskulls · boneheads · simpletons · nincompoops · knuckleheads · lunkheads · meatheads · thickheads · chuckleheads

comical

buffoonery

Ludicrous or silly conduct

slapstickExaggerated physical humor
clowningPlayful comic behavior
anticsAbsurd, attention-seeking behavior

farce · goofiness · tomfoolery · foolery · zaniness · absurdity · ridiculousness · laughingstock · comic relief · stooges

traits

clueless

Lacking any understanding

obliviousLacking any awareness
dim-wittedLacking intelligence or quickness
thick-skulledStubbornly slow to comprehend

slow-witted · dense · obtuse · dull · vacant · dopey · gormless · witless · brainless · senseless

behavior

blundering

Acting with clumsy incompetence

bunglingMishandling through incompetence
bumblingClumsily incompetent
fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling

botching · stumbling · floundering · muddling · mishandling · mishaps · gaffes · mistakes · errors · slip-ups

Categories

foolsfool, idiot, moron, fools, idiots
idiotsidiot, moron, imbecile, fool, fools

Opposites

intellectual capacity

dunderheadsgeniuses

Exceptionally gifted intellects

intellectuals · brains · masterminds · whiz kids · savants

Family

dunderhead, dunderheaded

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G