dullard

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See also: Dullard

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English dullard, dollard, equivalent to dull +‎ -ard (pejorative agent suffix). Compare Faroese døll (dullard, good-for-nothing, blockhead), Norwegian Nynorsk døl (idiot, simpleton).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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dullard (plural dullards)

  1. A stupid person; a fool.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fool
    • 1880, William Blades, The Enemies of Books, page 41:
      Oh! Richard of Bury, I sighed, for a sharp stone from your sling to pierce with indignant sarcasm the mental armour of these college dullards.
    • 1995, Temple Grandin, Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports from My Life with Autism, Vintage Books, published 2006, page 211:
      Whereas some prodigies develop at an early age, Einstein did not exhibit any great genius as a young child. Some people thought he was a dullard.
    • 20082021, qntm, “We Need To Talk About Fifty-Five”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 9:
      Marion has long since stopped listening. "You dullard," she says now she can finally speak, "I'm your chief of Antimemetics."

Translations

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Further reading

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